My Young Days Read online

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  TAKE MINE!]

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  MY YOUNG DAYS.

  BY THEAUTHOR OF "EVENING AMUSEMENT," "LETTERS EVERYWHERE," ETC., ETC.

  _WITH TWENTY ILLUSTRATIONS BY PAUL KONEWKA._

  NEW YORK:E. P. DUTTON & CO., 713, BROADWAY.LONDON: SEELEY, JACKSON, & HALLIDAY.1872.

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  THE MITTENS.]

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  CONTENTS.

  PAGE

  I.--HOME SICKNESS 1

  II.--UNCLE HUGH'S STORY 10

  III.--THE LITTLE STOWAWAY 21

  IV.--MY HOME, AND WHAT IT IS LIKE 33

  V.--LITTLE COUSINS 46

  VI.--WHAT ABOUT LESSONS 59

  VII.--HURRAH FOR THE HOLIDAYS! 76

  VIII.--THE COTTAGE ON THE CLIFF 90

  IX.--SUSETTE AND HER TROUBLES 108

  X.--AUTUMN DAYS 123

  XI.--GOOD-BYE TO BEECHAM 137

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  MY YOUNG DAYS.

  I.

  _HOME SICKNESS._

  "I want to go home!"

  How many times in my life, I wonder, have these words come rushing upfrom the very bottom of my heart, tumbling everything out of the way,never listening to reason, never stopping for thought? How many timessince that dreary afternoon in the great, big drawing-room atgrandmamma's? And, oh dear me! what miserable heartache comes beforethat fearful want! Oh, grown-up people, don't you know how soureverything tastes, and how yellow everything looks, and how sickeverything makes one, when one wants to go home?

  So it was that one wretched day. How well I remember it all! The large,large drawing-room so full of cushions, couches, easy-chairs, littletables covered with funny knick-knacks, marble-slabs and moreknick-knacks, beautiful fire-screens, large mirrors, soft fur lyingabout on the floor, and many-coloured antimacassars on the chairs. Byand by, all these wonders had happy memories pinned on to them, ofuproarious games with merry little play-fellows. Now, I was all alone,and very lonely, in it all. True, there was grandmamma nodding in hereasy-chair, in the firelight, on one side, and there was Uncle Hughreading the "Times" by the same light on the other. But what were eitherof them to the little tired stranger on the low stool between them? Oncegrandmamma's eyes had opened just to look at me, and say, "Making prettypictures of the red coals, my dearie?"

  And Uncle Hugh had answered, "Yes, to be sure; dreaming of the King ofSalamanders!"

  And they went to sleep again or went on reading, and the little companysmile faded away from my face, and I went back to those very real dreamsof the nursery at home, and baby there, and little brother, and papa andmamma, and the long time ago, hours and hours ago! when I said good-bye,and Bobbie kissed his hand out of window, and the carriage took meoff--a happy little woman, really going in the puff-puff! Oh, how couldI ever have felt so happy then and be so miserable now? Had I everthought that I was coming away from them all, with nobody at all butJane, the new nursemaid, to take care of me? Had I ever thought how_quite_ alone I should be, never able to find my way in this great, bighouse, sure to get lost in some of the passages? And how could I ever goto sleep without Bobbie close by, and wouldn't Bobbie cry for me athome? And oh, nurse wouldn't be there to tuck me up, and perhapsgrandmamma wouldn't like the candle left! And who would give me mygood-night kiss like,--like,--oh, oh, like----But it would come, thatgreat big sob, it wasn't any use to choke it back! And, when it hadcome, of course, it was all over with me, and there was nothing for itbut to cry out just as if I was not in that grand drawing-room--

  "I want to go home! I want, oh, I do want mamma!"

  What a disturbance that cry of mine did make, to be sure! Grandmamma waswide-awake in a moment, looking very much distressed, and laying herhand on the bell. This troubled me very much; for hadn't Jane told mewhen she brushed my hair and made me tidy, that I was to go down and bea good girl, "and do things pretty" in the drawing-room, and would shescold me if I was sent away for crying and making a noise? But UncleHugh came to my rescue, threw away his paper, and cuddled me up in hisgreat strong arms almost like papa. And he showed me his watch, and madeit strike, and then began to show me all kinds of wonders about theroom: little tiny black men under a glass case, small china monkeys,cats and frogs, and funny shells and fishes, and snakes' skins, andlots of other things. And after that we came back to the easy-chair, andhe sang me sailors' songs, and told me all about "The House that Jackbuilt!"

  THE CAT THAT WANTED THE GOOSE.]

  "Little woman," he said at last, "did you ever hear of 'The Goose thatJack killed?'" and then he sang in his funny way, "This is the goosethat Jack killed; and this is the cat that wanted the goose that Jackkilled; and this is the dog that chased the cat that wanted the goosethat Jack killed; and this is the thief that cheated the dog that chasedthe cat that wanted the goose that Jack killed; and this is the dreamthat haunted the thief that cheated the dog that chased the cat thatwanted the goose that Jack killed; and this"--

  But "Good night, Uncle Hugh, there's Jane come to fetch Miss Sissy toher tea, upstairs in the nursery."