Nelly's Silver Mine: A Story of Colorado Life Read online

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  _All that morning Rob fished and Nelly stuckgrasshoppers on the hook for him._FRONTISPIECE. _See page 204._]

  The Beacon Hill Bookshelf

  Nelly's Silver Mine

  _A Story of Colorado Life_

  By

  Helen Hunt Jackson

  With Illustrations in Color by Harriet Roosevelt Richards

  Boston Little, Brown, and Company 1926

  _Copyright, 1878,_ BY ROBERTS BROTHERS

  _Copyright, 1906, 1920,_ BY WILLIAM S. JACKSON.

  _Copyright, 1910,_ BY LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY.

  _All rights reserved._

  _Printed in the United States of America_

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER PAGE

  I CHRISTMAS-DAY IN NELLY'S NEW ENGLAND HOME 1

  II A TALK ABOUT LEAVING MAYFIELD 18

  III OFF FOR COLORADO 48

  IV A NIGHT IN A SLEEPING-CAR 71

  V FIRST GLIMPSES OF COLORADO AND A NEW HOME 96

  VI LIFE AT GARLAND'S 125

  VII A HUNT FOR A SILVER MINE 141

  VIII THE MARCHES LEAVE GARLAND'S 156

  IX WET MOUNTAIN VALLEY 187

  X ROB AND NELLY GO INTO BUSINESS 208

  XI HOW TO FIND A SILVER MINE 227

  XII NELLY'S SILVER MINE 250

  XIII "THE GOOD LUCK" 270

  XIV AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE 292

  XV CHANGES IN PROSPECT 311

  XVI "GOOT-BY AND GOOT LUCK" 323

  ILLUSTRATIONS

  All that morning Rob fished and Nelly stuck grasshoppers on the hook for him _Frontispiece_

  FACING PAGE

  Nelly sat on one side, with all the dolls ranged in a row against the wall 20

  He would ring out such a "jodel" that the people would stop and look up amazed 132

  There she saw the very place she recollected so well 256

  NELLY'S SILVER MINE

  CHAPTER I

  CHRISTMAS-DAY IN NELLY'S NEW-ENGLAND HOME

  It was Christmas morning; and Nelly March and her brother Rob werelying wide awake in their beds, wondering if it would do for them toget up and look in their stockings to see what Santa Claus hadbrought them. Nelly and Rob were twins; but you would never havethought so, when you looked at them, for Nelly was half a headtaller than Rob, and a good deal heavier. She had always been well;but Rob had always been a delicate child. He was ill now with a badsore throat, and had been shut up in the house for ten days. Thiswas the reason that he and Nelly were in bed at six o'clock thisChristmas morning, instead of scampering all about the house, andwaking everybody up with their shouts of delight over theirpresents. When they went to bed the night before, Mrs. March hadsaid: "Now, Rob, you must promise me not to get out of bed till itis broad daylight, and the house is thoroughly warm. You willcertainly take cold, if you get up in the cold room."

  "Mamma," said Nelly, "I needn't stay in bed just because Rob has to,need I? I can take his presents out of the stocking, and carry themto him."

  "You shan't, either," said Rob, fretfully. "I want to take them outmyself; and you're real mean not to wait for me, Nell. 'Tisn't halfso much fun for just one. Shan't she stay in bed too, mamma, as longas I have to?"

  Mrs. March looked at Nelly, and smiled. She knew Nelly had notthought Rob would care any thing about her getting up first, or shewould never have proposed it. Nelly was always ready to give up toRob, much more so than was for his good.

  "Nelly can do as she pleases, Rob," she answered. "I don't think itwould be fair for me to compel her to stay in bed because you have asore throat: do you?"

  But Rob did not answer. He was not a very generous boy, and all hewas thinking of now was his own pleasure.

  "Say, Nell," he cried, "you won't get up, will you, till I can?Don't: I'll think you're real unkind if you do."

  "No, no, Rob," said Nelly. "Indeed I won't. I don't care. It will beall the longer to think about it, and that's almost the best part ofit." And Nelly threw her arms around Rob's neck and kissed him.

  "It's too bad, you darling," she said, "you have to be sick onChristmas-day. I won't have any pudding, either, if you don't wantme to."

  Mrs. March was an Englishwoman, and had lived in England till shewas married, and she always had on Christmas-day a real Englishplum-pudding with brandy turned over it, and set on fire just beforethe pudding was brought to the table, so that when it came in theblue and red and yellow flames were all blazing up high over it, andthe waitress had to turn her head away not to breathe the heat fromthe flames.

  You would have thought it would have made Rob ashamed to have Nellypropose to go without pudding because he could not eat any, but Idon't think it did. All he said was,--

  "Don't be a goose, Nell. That's quite different."

  Just before they went to sleep, Sarah, the cook, went past theirdoor, and Nelly called to her:--

  "Sarah, mamma says we mustn't get up to-morrow morning till thehouse is very warm. Couldn't you get up very early and start thefurnace fire?"

  "Why, yes, Miss Nelly, I can do that easy enough, sure; but where'llyou be sleeping?"

  "Just where we always do, Sarah," replied Nelly, much surprised atthis question.

  "Well, miss, I'll be up long before light and get the house as warmas toast by the time you can see to tell the toes from the heels ofyour stockings," said Sarah. "Good-night, Miss Nelly. Good-night,Master Rob."

  "What could she have meant asking where we'd be sleeping?" said Rob.

  "I'm sure I don't know," said Nelly; "it's very queer. We've neverslept anywhere but in these two beds since we were babies. I don'tknow what's got into her head. It's the queerest thing I ever knew.I guess she was sleepy," and in a few moments both the children werefast asleep.

  Rob was the first to wake up. It was not much past midnight.

  "Nelly," he whispered. No answer.

  Twice he called: still no answer. There was not a sound to be heardexcept the loud ticking of the high clock at the head of the stairs.Presently there came a rustle and quick low steps, and his motherstood by his bed.

  "What do you want, my dear little boy?" she said. "Is your throatworse?"

  "No; isn't it time to get up?" said Rob. "Hasn't Sarah made thefire?"

  "Oh, mercy!" exclaimed Mrs. March. "Is that all? Why Rob! it isn'tanywhere near morning. You must go to sleep again, child; it is aterribly cold night," and she tucked the bed-clothes tight aroundhim, and ran back to her own room.

  "I don't care," said Rob. "I'll just stay awake. I don't believeit'll be very long;" but before he knew it he was fast asleep again.The next time he waked, it had begun to be light, or rather a littleless dark. He could see the outline of the window at the foot of hisbed, and he could see Nelly's bedstead, which was on the oppositeside of the room.

  "Nelly," he called again.

  "I'm a
wake," said Nelly.

  "Why didn't you speak?" said Rob.

  "I was thinking," replied Nelly. "Sarah hasn't gone down yet."

  "Pshaw," said Rob, "she must have. She said she'd go long beforelight. She went before you were awake."

  "It's awful cold," whispered Nelly; "I can't keep even my hands outof bed. I'm going to jump up and see if any hot air comes in at theregister." So saying, she jumped out of bed, ran to the register,and held her hands above it.

  "Cold as Greenland, Rob," she said, "Sarah can't have made the fire.I don't believe she is up."

  "Oh, dear," said Rob, "every thing all goes wrong when I'm sick. Ithink it's too mean I have to be the sick one just because we'retwins. I heard a lady say once to mamma,--she didn't think I heardbut I did,--'Weren't you very sorry, Mrs. March, to have twins? Youknow they can't ever both be strong. Your Rob, now, he looks verysickly.' Civil, that was, to mamma, wasn't it? I was so mad I couldhave flung my ball at her old wise head. But I think it must betrue, because mamma answered her real gentle, but with her voice alltrembly, and she said, 'Yes, I know that is usually said to be so;but we hope to prove to the contrary. Rob grows stronger every year,and he and his sister take so much comfort together, I can neverregret that they were born twins.' But I do: I think it's a shameto make a fellow sick all his life that way. I say, Nell, I don'tbelieve you'd mind it half so much as I do. Girls are different fromboys. I think it would have been better for you to be the sick onethan me. Don't you? Say, Nell!"

  This was a hard question for poor Nelly.

  "Oh, Rob!" she said, "I don't want to be selfish about it. I'd bewilling to take turns and be sick half the times; or some more thanhalf,--I guess three-quarters: but I think you ought to have alittle."

  "But don't you see, Nell, it can't be that way," interrupted Rob;"it can't be that way with twins. It's got to be one sick one andone strong one. That's what that lady said, and mamma said she'dheard so too; and I think it's just as mean as any thing. They mighthave let us be born as much as three days apart, or a week: thatwouldn't have made any difference in the fun; we could have playedjust as well, and, besides, we'd have had two birthdays to keepthen, don't you see?"

  "I don't think that would be so nice, Rob," said Nelly, "as to haveone together. That would be like my getting up now, before you do,and having my stocking all to myself, and you didn't want me to dothat."

  "Pshaw, Nell," replied Rob, impatiently as before: "that's quitedifferent; but girls never see things."

  Nelly laughed out loud. "I don't know why: we have as many eyes asboys have. I see lots more things in the woods than you do, always."

  "Oh, not that sort of things," answered Rob; "not that kind ofseeing; not with your eyes: I mean to see with your--well, I don'tknow what it is you see with, the kind I mean; but don't you knowmamma often says to papa about something that's got to be done,'don't you see? don't you see?' and she doesn't mean that he is tolook with his eyes: that's the kind I mean. Now where is thatSarah?" he exclaimed suddenly, sitting bolt upright in bed in hisexcitement. "It's as cold as out-doors here, and there isn't acreature stirring in the house, and it's broad daylight."

  "Oh, Rob, do lie down and cover yourself up," cried Nelly. "You're anaughty boy, and you'll have another sore throat as sure's you'realive. It isn't broad daylight nor any thing like it. I can't butjust see the stockings."

  "Can't but just see them!" said Rob. "Didn't I tell you girlscouldn't see any thing? Why, I can see them just as plain, just asplain as if I was in 'em! Ain't they big, Nell? I know what's inyours, for one thing."

  "Oh, Rob! do you? Tell me!" exclaimed Nell.

  "I can't," replied Rob. "I promised mamma I wouldn't. But it'ssomething you've wanted awfully."

  "A doll, Rob! oh, is it a doll with eyes that can shut? oh, say,Rob!" pleaded Nelly. "It's long past the time I ought to have hadit, if you hadn't been sick: you might tell me. I'll tell you whatone of your things is if you will."

  "I don't want to know, Nell," replied Rob, "and you needn't teaseme, for I'll never tell you: not if they lie abed in this house allday. Dear me! where can Sarah be? I'm going to call mamma."

  "You can't make her hear, Rob," answered Nelly. "They shut the doorsever so long ago. They were talking about something they didn't wantus to hear."

  "How do you know?" said Rob.

  "Because I heard some of what they said, and I coughed so that theymight know I was awake," replied Nelly. "Oh, Rob, it is awful!" andNelly began to sob.

  "What's awful? what is it, Nell? Tell me, can't you?" said Rob, inan excited tone.

  "No, Rob I'm not going to tell you any thing about it," repliedNelly. "It wouldn't be fair, because they didn't want us to know.It'll be time enough when it comes."

  "When what comes?" shouted Rob, thoroughly roused now. "I do say,Nell March, you're enough to try a saint. What did you tell me anything about it for? I'll tell mamma the minute she comes in, andtell her you listened. Oh, shame, shame, shame on a listener!"

  "Rob, you're just as mean as you can be," cried Nelly. "I didn'tlisten, and mamma knows very well I wouldn't do such a thing. Ofcourse I couldn't help hearing when both doors were open, and Icoughed out loud as soon as I thought about it that most likely theydidn't mean we should know any thing about it. I heard papa saysomething about the children, and mamma said, 'we won't tell themtill it is all settled,' and then I gave a great big cough, and shegot up and shut both the doors; so now, Rob, you see I wasn't alistener. I wouldn't listen for any thing: mamma said once it wasthe very meanest kind of a lie in the whole world! Mamma knows Iwouldn't do it, and you can just tell her what you like, you oldhateful boy."

  This was a very unhappy sort of talk for Christmas morning, was itnot? But both Rob and Nelly were tired and cold, and their patiencewas all worn out. It really was a hard trial for two children onlytwelve years old to have to lie still in bed, hour after hour,Christmas morning, waiting for their presents; it grew slowlylighter and lighter; each moment they could see the big stockingsplainer and plainer; they hung on the outside of the closet door ontwo big hooks, where were usually hung the children's school hats.One stocking was gray, and one was white. I must tell you aboutthese stockings, for they were very droll. They were larger than thelargest boots you ever saw, and would reach the whole length of aman's leg, way above his knee, as far up as they could go. Theybelonged to the children's grandfather March. He was one of thequeerest old gentlemen that ever was known, I think. He lived in acity a great many miles away from the village where Mr. and Mrs.March lived, but he used to spend his winters with them. About sixweeks before he arrived, big boxes used to begin to come. There wasno railroad to this village: every thing had to come on coaches orbig luggage wagons. Early in November, old Mr. March's boxes alwaysbegan to arrive at his son's house. When Rob and Nelly saw Mr.Earle's big express wagon drive up to the back gate, they alwaysexclaimed, "Oh, there are grandpa's things coming!" and they wouldrun out to see them unloaded. You would have thought that old Mr.March supposed there was nothing to eat in all the village, to seewhat quantities of food he sent up. But the most peculiar thingabout it was that he sent such queer things. He was as queer abouthis food as he was about every thing else, and he did not eat thethings other people ate. For instance, he never ate butter; he atefresh olive oil on everything; and he had a notion that no olive oilwas brought to this country to sell which was fit to eat. He had anintimate friend who was an old sea captain, and used to sail toSmyrna; this sea captain used to bring over for him large boxes ofbottles of olive oil every spring and autumn; and two or three ofthese boxes he would use up in the course of the winter. He neverused more than half of the oil in a bottle: after it had been openeda few days, he did not like it; he would smell it very carefullyeach day, and, by the third or fourth day, he would shove the bottlefrom him, and say, "Bah! throw the stuff away! throw it away! itisn't fit to eat!" Mrs. March had great trouble in disposing ofthese half bottles of oil; everybody in the neighborhood took them,and very glad peop
le were to get them too, for the oil wasdelicious; but there were enough for two or three villages of thesize of Mayfield. These sweet-oil boxes had curious letters on themin scarlet and blue, and the bottles were all rolled up in a sort ofshining silver paper, which Rob and Nelly used to keep to coverboxes with. It was very pretty, so they were always glad when theysaw a big pile of the olive-oil boxes. Then there were also boxesfull of bottles of pepper-sauce; this came in big black bottles, andthe little peppers showed red through the glass; the smallest dropof this pepper-sauce made your mouth burn like fire, but this queerold gentleman used to pour it over every thing he ate. The bigbottle of pepper-sauce and the big bottle of olive oil were alwaysput by his plate, and he poured first from one and then from theother, until the food on his plate was nearly swimming in thestrange mixture. Salt fish was another of his favorite dishes, andhe brought up every autumn huge piles of them. They came in flatpackages, tied up with coarse cord; when Mr. Earle threw them downto the ground from the top of his wagon a strong and disagreeableodor rose in the air, and Rob and Nelly used to exclaim, "Groans forthe salt fish! groans for the salt fish! Why didn't you lose it offthe wagon, Mr. Earle?"

  "It wouldn't have made any odds, miss," Mr. Earle used to reply."The old gentleman'd have made me go back for more." Besides thesalt fish, there were little kegs full of what are called "tonguesand sounds," put up in salt brine; these are the tongues and theintestines of fish; there were also jars of oysters and of clams,and a barrel of the sort of bread sailors eat at sea, which iscalled hard-tack. Now, after hearing about the extraordinary foodthis old gentleman used to bring for his own use, you will beprepared to believe what I have to tell you about his big stockings.He had just as queer notions about his bed and all his arrangementsfor sleeping, as he had about his food. No woman was ever allowedto make his bed. He always made it himself. Except in the veryhottest weather, he would not have any sheets on it, only the veryfinest of flannel blankets, a great many of them; and he never woreany night-gown; he believed they were very unwholesome things.

  "Why don't animals put on night-gowns to sleep in?" he used to say;one might very well have replied to him, "Animals don't crawl inbetween blankets either, and if you are going to be simply ananimal, you must go without any clothes day and night both."However, he was a very irritable old gentleman, and nobody everargued with him about any thing. Mr. and Mrs. March let him do inall ways exactly as he liked, and never contradicted him, for heloved them very much, in his way, and was very good to them.

  Of all his queer ways and queer things, I think these big stockingswere the queerest. As I said, he never wore any night-gown in bed,but he was over seventy years old, and, in spite of all histheories, his feet and legs would sometimes get cold: so he went toa tailor and got an exact pattern of a tight-fitting leg to a pairof trousers; then he took this to a woman who knit stockings tosell, and he unrolled his leg pattern before her, and said:--

  "Do you see that leg, ma'am? Can you knit a stocking leg that shapeand length?"

  The woman did not know what to make of him.

  "Why, sir," said she, "you'd never want a stocking-leg that long?"

  "I didn't ask you what I wanted, ma'am," growled the old gentleman,"I asked you what you could do. Can you knit a stocking-leg thatlength and shape?"

  "Why, yes, sir, I suppose I can," she replied, much cowed by hisfierce manner.

  "Well, then, knit me six pairs, three gray and three white. There'sthe pattern for the foot," and he threw down an old sock of his onthe table, and was striding away.

  The woman followed him.

  "But, sir," she said timidly, "I couldn't knit these for the priceof ordinary stockings. I'm afraid you wouldn't be willing to paywhat they would cost. It would be like knitting a pair ofpantaloons, sir,--indeed it would."

  Old Mr. March always carried a big gold-headed cane; and, when hewas angry, he lifted it from the ground and shook the gold knob asfast as he could right in people's faces. He lifted it now, andshook the gold knob so close in the woman's face, that she retreatedrapidly toward the door.

  "I didn't say any thing about money: did I, ma'am? Knit thosestockings: I don't care what they cost," he cried.

  "But I thought," she interrupted.

  "I didn't ask you to think, did I?" said Mr. March, speaking louderand louder. "You'll never earn any money thinking. Knit thosestockings, ma'am, and the sooner the better," and the old gentlemanwalked out of the house muttering.

  "Dear me, what a very hasty old gentleman!" said the woman toherself. "I'll go over and ask Mrs. March, and make sure it's allright." So the next day she went to see Mrs. March, who explained toher all the old gentleman's whims about sleeping, and that he wasquite willing and able to pay whatever the queer stockings wouldcost. In a very few weeks, the stockings were all done; and the oldgentleman was so pleased with them that he gave the woman an extrafive-dollar bill, besides the sum she had charged for knitting them.And this was the way that there came to be hanging up in Nelly's andRob's chamber two such huge stockings on this Christmas morning ofwhich I am telling you. They were splendid stockings for Christmasstockings! It did really seem as if you never would get to thebottom of them. The children used to lay them down on the floor, andrun around them, and pull out thing after thing. Mrs. Marchsometimes wished they were not quite so large: it took a great dealto fill them: but, after having once used them, she had not theheart to go back to the ordinary-sized stocking, for it would havebeen such a disappointment to the children. She used them, first,one Christmas when Nelly's chief present was a big doll about twofeet and a half tall, which wore real baby clothes like a live baby.This was so big it could not go into a common stocking, and Mrs.March happened then to think of her father's. The old gentleman wasdelighted to have them used for the purpose, and stood by laughinghard, while Mrs. March put the things in.

  "Ha! ha!" he said, "the old stockings are good for more than onething: aren't they?"

  But we are leaving Nelly and Rob a long time in bed waiting fortheir Christmas presents. It grew lighter and lighter, and stillthere was no sound in the house, and the room grew no warmer. Robwas so thoroughly cross that he lay back on his pillow, with hiseyes shut and his lips pouting out, and would not speak a word. Invain Nelly tried to comfort him, or to interest him. He would notspeak. Even Nelly's patience was nearly worn out. At last the doorof their mother's room opened, and she came out in her warm redwrapper.

  "Why, you dear patient little children!" she exclaimed; "are you inbed yet? this is too bad. What does make your room so cold! Why,bless me!" she exclaimed, going to the register, "no heat is comingup here; what does this mean?"

  "I don't think Sarah has gone down yet: I've been awake a long time,mamma," said Nelly.

  "A thousand years, it is," exclaimed Rob, "or more, that we've beenlying awake here waiting: Sarah's the meanest girl alive."

  "Hush, hush, Rob!" said Mrs. March. "Don't speak so. Perhaps she isill. I will go and see. But you may have your presents on the bed;"and, going to the closet, she took down first the gray stocking,which was for Rob, and carried it and laid it on his bed. Then shecarried the white one, and laid it on Nelly's bed.

  "Oh, goody, goody!" they both cried at once. "You're real good,mamma;" and in one second more all four of the little arms wereplunging into the depths of the big stockings.

  "You've earned your presents this time," said Mrs. March, as shepinned warm blankets round the children's shoulders. "I think youare really very brave little children to be quiet so many hours. Itis after eight o'clock. I am afraid Sarah is ill."

  Then she went upstairs and the children heard her knocking atSarah's door, and calling, "Sarah! Sarah!" Presently she came downvery quickly, and went into her room; in a few minutes, she wentback again, and Mr. March went with her. Then the children heardmore knocking, and their papa calling very loud, "Sarah! Sarah! openthe door this moment." Then came a loud crash.

  "Papa's smashed the door in," said Rob. "Good enough for her, lazyold thin
g, to sleep so Christmas morning! I hope mamma won't giveher any present." Nelly did not speak. She had scarcely heard theknocking or the calls: she was so absorbed in looking at her newdoll,--a wax doll with eyes that could open and shut. To have such adoll as this had been the great desire of Nelly's heart for years.There was also a beautiful little leather trunk full of clothes forthe doll, and four little band-boxes, each with a hat or bonnet init. There was a bedstead for her to sleep in, and a pretty redarm-chair for her to sit in, and a play piano, which could make alittle real music. Then there were four beautiful new books, andever so many pretty little paper boxes with different sorts of candyin them: all white candy; Mrs. March never gave her children anycolored candies.

  Rob had a beautiful kaleidoscope, mounted with a handle to turn itround by; it was about as long as Nelly's doll, and as he drew itout he couldn't imagine what it was. Then he had a geographicalglobe, and a paint-box, and four new volumes of Mayne Reid'sstories, and the same number of boxes of candy which Nelly had.

  You never saw two happier children than Rob and Nelly were for thenext half-hour. They forgot all about the cold, about Sarah, andabout having had to wait so long. For half an hour, all that was tobe heard in the room were exclamations from one to the other, suchas:--

  "Oh, Nell! see this picture!"

  "Oh, Rob! look at this lovely bonnet!"

  "Nell, this is the splendidest one of all."

  "This doll is bigger than Mary Pratt's: I know it is. Oh, Rob! don'tyou suppose it must have cost a lot of money?"

  At last Mrs. March came back into their room, looking very muchannoyed.

  "Well, children," she said, "we're going to have a droll sort ofChristmas. Sarah is so fast asleep we can't wake her up, and yourpapa thinks she must be drunk. We shall have to cook our Christmasdinner ourselves. How will you like that?"

  "Oh, splendid, mamma, splendid! Let us get right up now," cried boththe children, eagerly laying down their playthings.

  "No," said Mrs. March. "Rob must not get up yet: it is too cold; butyou may get up, Nell, and help me get breakfast. Can you leave yournew dolly?"

  "Oh, yes, mamma!" cried Nelly, "indeed I can." And laying the dollycarefully between the bed-clothes with her head on the pillow, shekissed her, and said, "Good-by, dear Josephine Harriet: you won't bevery long alone. I will come back soon."

  Rob burst out laughing. "What a name!" he said, mimicking Nelly."Josephine Harriet! whoever heard such a name?"

  "I think it's a real pretty name, Rob," replied Nelly. "Boys don'tknow any thing about dolls names. Besides, she is named for twopeople: Josephine is for that poor, dear, beautiful Empress thatmamma told us about; I've always thought since then if ever I had adoll handsome enough, I'd name her after her. And Harriet is afterHatty Pratt. I love Hatty dearly, and she's named two dolls afterme."

  "Well, I shall call the doll the Empress, then," said Rob, in a toneintended to be very sarcastic.

  "Yes; so shall I," replied Nelly: "I thought of that. It will soundvery nice."

  Rob looked a little disappointed. He thought it would tease Nelly tohave her doll called "The Empress."

  "No: I think I'll call her Mrs. Napoleon," said he.

  "Well," said Nelly, "I suppose that would do,"--Nelly had not theleast idea that Rob was making fun of her,--"but I don't believethey ever call the real Empress so. I don't remember it in thestory. I'll ask mamma. I think Mrs. Napoleon is a beautiful name:don't you, Rob?"

  By this time Rob was too deep in the "Cliff Climbers"--one of hisnew books--to answer; and Nelly was all dressed ready to godownstairs. As she left the room, Rob called out:--

  "I say, Nell, tell mamma I don't want any breakfast. I'd rather stayin bed and read this story."

  It was a very droll Christmas-day, but the children always said itwas one of the very pleasantest they ever spent. It turned out thatthe cook was really in a heavy drunken sleep. She had been partlyunder the influence of liquor when she went to bed the night before.That was the reason she had asked Nelly where they would be sleepingin the morning. She did not know what she was saying when she saidthat. Mr. March went and brought a doctor to look at her in hersleep, for they were afraid it might be apoplexy; but the doctoronly laughed, and said:--

  "Pshaw! The woman's drunk. Let her alone. She'll wake up by noon."

  Mr. and Mrs. March felt very unhappy about this, for Sarah had livedwith them two years, and had never done such a thing before. She didnot wake up by noon, as the doctor had said. She did not wake uptill nearly night; and, when she went downstairs, there were Mrs.March and Nelly and Rob in the kitchen, all at work. Mrs. March andNelly were washing the dishes, and Rob was cleaning the knives. Theyhad cooked the dinner and eaten it, and cleared every thing away.Sarah dropped into a chair, and looked from one to the other withoutspeaking.

  "Hullo!" said Rob, "you cooked us a nice Christmas dinner: didn'tyou? We'd have never had any if we'd waited for you."

  "Do you feel sick now, Sarah?" said good-hearted little Nelly.

  Sarah did not speak. Her brain was not yet clear. She lookedhelplessly from Mrs. March to the children, and from the children toMrs. March. Then she rose and walked unsteadily to the table, andtried to take the towel out of Nelly's hands.

  "Let me wipe the dishes," she said: "my head's better now."

  "No, Sarah," said Mrs. March, sternly. "Go back to your room. You'renot yet fit to be on your feet."

  The children wondered very much that their mamma, who was usually sokind, should speak so sternly to Sarah; but they asked no questions.They were too full of the excitement of doing all the work, andlooking at their presents, and talking about them. The hours flew byso quickly that it was dark before they knew it; and, when they wentto bed, they both exclaimed together:--

  "Oh, Nell!" and "Oh, Rob! hasn't it been a splendid Christmas!"

  They remembered it for a great many years, for it was the lastChristmas they spent in their pleasant home at Mayfield.