Show JU I 1 1 vaa 01 tn tl w iw L OWN NL IM too STORY FROM THE START lydia dudley with her bally baby inter bister patience returns horne home tron from I 1 tin an afternoon of play the homo home la in nn an untidy home the impoverished ed household of her father amos dudley in lake city ner her fathers thero fa friend and her own devoted admirer john levine are discussing affairs in general lund Is in getting more valuable every dayo danyi amos amon thinks that it Is IB time the indians who occupy a reserva reservation tinn twenty miles away were moving on in order that the white men might have this athla land I 1 CHAPTER I 1 continued poor brutes of Ind indians lans sold john levine refilling his Is pipe 1 I get ugly about tile tho reservation yet I 1 realize got first right to tile inand tile the annn that can make best 1130 of tile alie lands got first right to lt it lt ln in elated allos Tl nita what my illy nn an costora believed two hun hundred tired and alf ty years ago when they settled in new and id put loopholes under tile tho eaves of their houses our farmhouse had loopholes like that snow used use to sift lit in through cm in on oil my iny lied bed when I 1 was ans a kid 11 lydia lying on oil tier stomach on the cough turning tho leaves of tom sawyer looked lit up mill sudden ln in terest daddy lets go baal here to live id love to live lit in a house with loopholes I 1 the two men inen Inu you should 4 1 linao 1 ave been a boy lydia malt sald amos amog A boy sniffed levine and an have ino mothered little pot patience lence if shed been it boy right yet look at that litter on the desk in the parlor iloth both tile tho men smiled while lydia what ore are you going to to do with that doll furniture lydia asked jotin john levine im going to mako make a loll doll house for little tile lInt lence for christmas lydia clydla gave till nn uncomfortable wriggle dont ank about me so much youre working a long way ahead commented amos that was your mothers trait I 1 wish id lind it though how flow I 1 could look ahead on a dollar and a half a adny day lydia lydan its bedtime lydia rose reluctantly tier lier book under tier her irm arm dont rend read upstairs child amos adit on go to fled bed and to steep sleep tit dl rec ily r L dla looked it round around for it a sate safe place for tile book and finally climbed lit up on a chair and laid it on oil the top shelf of the lie sideboard then she blip cn came me back to fo tier her fat fathers tiers side arid and lifted tier lier face for tier ler good goodnight night kiss hood night my iny child said amos ilow how about me ahkee levine lavent Il Hiu ent you one e to spare for a lonely ly bache bachelor lork ile he pulled lydia to liliu and kissed lier her gently on tile the check if you were vre ten years of older ter and I 1 were ten years younger youngai f then wed travel said the child with it happy giggle ns as slie silo ran out of the room there was silence for a n moment then john levine sold too bad old lizzie Is such a slob 1 I know it replied amos but silo gets g ets no wages just stayed on after nursing my wife I 1 cant elyord to j E li L i tj jfe IL poor brutes of indians said john levine pay f decent help and after all she alie ta t 00 the i rough work and ashes honest and fond ozithe of i the children still lydia to fo have a better chance I 1 wali let me lie ho hesitated let you what asked amos nothing shed better work out things her own way avay shell be setting to notice things aroulia the house ansho as slie prows grows older 1 it ix Is the devils own mess mesa here admitted amos im going to move i 1 ai tivo month nth tills this place lias fins got on oil my nerves ive got to get latu into a pince where I 1 can have A garden if are w gri er further out of town we can get teof for less rent rant i 11 good idia idea to have a garden I 1 n irvine IP vIne 1 I tell you take iso of wine mine out near the by ir 1 0 T 1 J 0 ja it I 1 E WILLSIE Q by frederick A stokes co flo floralee rylee lake ill lot let you have it for what you pay for tills this be empty tile tho first of september ill go you sold eald amos its ns as pretty a place as I 1 know of again silence fell then amos sold said volin john why dont you go 50 to congress not today or tomorrow but maybe four or five years from now nice question for one poor man to put to another said levine with 1 a short laugh no reason you should always tic he poor replied amos Ir theres lieres rich land lying twenty miles north of here berei owned by nothing but Ind indians luns 11 levine scratched ills hla henl you could run for sheriff cold bald amos ns as a starter ily BY lieck heck I 1 exploded john levine ill try for it no reason why a real estate ninn go into politics is as well ns is somo some of the shyster lawyers you and I 1 know huh amos upstairs lydia stood in a path anth of moonlight putting pulling olt off tier her clothes clot lies slowly IA having joked herself into tier hor nightdress slie she knelt by tile the bedside oil oh ool god prayed in a whisper whipper dont let there bo tiny ny moro inore deaths in our family tin and help me to bring little patience up right 11 tills this wills tier her regular formula softly as a shadow she crept in beside tier her baby sister and the moonlight slowly edged across the room and rested for a long time on the two curly leads motionless in childhoods slumber CHAPTER 11 II the heroic day little patience had find forgotten the red balloon overnight clydla had known tant silo she would nevertheless with tho the feeling that something was owing to the baby she decided to turn tills this sat saturday arday into an extra season ot of delight for her little clin charge rge do you care dad naked asked lydia ot at breakfast if baby and I 1 have lunch over nt at the lake shore not if youre careful answered amos lie ile dug into tits his coat pocket and brought up a handful of tobacco from which lie disinterred two pennies here he fie one for each of you dont be late for supper chick 11 ens lie he kissed ahe two children picked up tits hla dinner pall tind and wits was off lydia tier her red cheeks cheek redder than usual sniffed smiled at lizzie as she dropped the tha pen pennies tiles into the he pocket of tier her blouse and a gray an and frowsy drowsy little handkerchief on oil top of them ho the pest best old daddy 1 she exclaimed sure said lizzle lizzie absentmindedly as she poured out tier her third cupful ot of coffee lydia that dress of yours Is real dirty you get into something else and il wash it out today 1 I got much of anything else to get into have 1 I lizzie except my sunday dress I 1 you are dreadful short of if clothes child what with the way you I 1 grow and the way you climb trees im in trying to save enough out of the he grocery money to get you if a couple more of them galatea dresses dresser for when opens but land your poor mother was such a hand with the needle you used to look it perfect picture there warned by the sudden droop of lydias mouth 1 I tell you be in and out of the water all day anyhow both of you get into the bathing su suits Is your aunt emily sent you aap all right answered lydia soberly you think aunt emily would have bave more sense than to send oil nil those grownup clothes who did she bhe thinks going to make em cm over now 7 1 I dont know child the poor thing Is dead now anyhow folks is s always thoughtless about charity why I 1 taught to 0 o sew I 1 dont know anyhow the bathing suits sh she got special for you two you bet your life im going to learn how to sew said clydla rising to untie the babas bit bib pin practicing on oil florence dombey mother had taught me straight seams and had just begun tile me on over lind and over oer when over her ant and over repented repeated the baby softly lizzle put out a plump toll scarred hand and drew diew lyala to her there dearie f think about other things what shall poor old liz fix you for lunch the child rubbed tier her bright cheek against the alie of old womans comans faded one you are a solid comfort to me ahe liz hz 1 ale she said with a sigh then after a moment she exclaimed eagerly ohl you think we could have a deviled egg Is it too ex pensive you shall have a deviled egr egg if I 1 have to steal it but maybe you might dust up lip the parlor a hit bit while I 1 get things ready lydia established little patience on tile the dining room floor with a linen picture book brought in a broom and dustpan from tho the kitchen ant and began 4 furiously to sweep the parlor when the oust cleared somewhat she emerged with tile the dustpan with sweepings and the corners of tho the room still untouched sd then with a sense of fluty duty well ane done slip she lifted little and carried her up into the little bedroom the bathing suits were pretty blue woolen things lings ti find and when the two presented themselves to lizzle lizzie in the kitchen the old woman exclaimed well if ever I 1 seen two fairies I 1 A thin one and a fat one chuckled lydia push the baby car carriage ringe down over the steps for me lizzle lizzie find ill tit prepare for our long hard voyage 11 patience was established in tier lier Pepa perambulator with tier her linen picture book vlorence dombey was settled nt her feet with 11 alen of iron tho the bits of elgar cigar box and tile the knife packed in a 11 pasteboard box were tied to on one 0 edge of tho carriage patiences milk packed in a tin pull pall of tee ice was wag laid on top of men of iron the paper liag ang of lunch dangled from the alie handle cantil e lar bar and ledla announced the prep orations complete the way to the take lake shore led under tile tho maple trees for several blocks then tile hoard boord walk turned abruptly to cross a marsh high grown now ilow with ripening cat tails having safely crossed the marsh the walk ended in a grass grown path lydia trundled tile the heavy perambulator with some dini culty along the path the august was hot slie she panted you ore are getting fat babil darn it I 1 wish I 1 had a bicY bicycle clel 1 alloy ahoy therel there I 1 hard aport with your helm heim matel mate I 1 come came a shout from behind tier her A boy in a bright red bathing sult suit jumped off a bicycle I hello fello kentl said clydla I hello fello fIll returned kent walt und and ill hitch to tile the front axle lie he untied a n stout cord from tits his han tile dlo bars and proceeded ded to fasten it from life his saddle post to the perambulator lydia watched him with a glowing face she was devoted to kent ken t although they quarreled a great deal ile he was a handsome boy two years lydias senior not tall for tits his years but already broad and sturdy with crinkly black hair and cleat clear black lashed brown eyes ills face wag waar round and ruddy uner under its summer tan hla 1118 lips were full unit and strong nn an aggressive jolly boy with a quick temper and a generous heart ile he and lydia clydla had been friends since kindergarten days im going to stay in the willows nil all day said lydia dont go too fast kent elt up I 1 dit up horsy I 1 screamed little patience the path after a few moments shifted to 10 the lake shore the water thern lopped lapped quietly on a sandy bench beach deep shaded by willows kent dismounted I 1 discharge your aargot cargo I 1 he cried dont be so BO bossy said lydia this Is my party all right then I 1 wont play with you t nobody asked you to smarty I 1 was going to give you my deviled egg for lunch gosh said kent did you bring your lunch ady I 1 guess ill go home and get mother to give me some but lets play piny pirates first 1 all right 1 1 I choose to tobe be chief first agreed lydia and im the cannibal and babas tile the stolen princess said kent the three children plunged into the game which Is the common property of childhood for a time bloody captures savage orgies escape pursuit looting of great ships and burial of tie treasure asure transformed the quiet shore to a theater of high crime at last ns tile the august noon waxed high and ve tile hostage princess fell fast asleep in tier her perambulator cave the cannibal who had shifted to captured duke bowed before the pirate 4 sir he said in a deep voice 1 I have havel bethought myself of still further treasure which it you ou will allow me to go after in my trusty boat I 1 will get and bring to you if you will allow me to say farewell at that time to my wife pod babes ila iia V I 1 returned tho the pirate how to do I 1 know come baca back the duke folded his aruns you have my word of honor which never tins lias and never will be broken go duke but return ere sundown the pirate made a magnificent gesture toward tho the bicycle and say kent bring plenty to fill yourself up for im awful hungry and ill need all weve got slie she was giving little patience tier her bread and milk when kent returned returned a paper bag I 1 ma was ivas cross nt at me for pester ln tier her but I 1 managed tv tu pet get some sandwiches and doughnuts dougli nuts come coine on lets begin gee theres a squaw 1 coming coining toward the three children seated in III the sand by the perambulator was a thin bent beat old woman leaning on a stick dirty old beggar said kent beginning to devour tits his sandwiches she awful I 1 exclaimed lydia begging indians indiana were no novelty to lake city children but tills this one wa so old and thin that lydia clydla wits was hor her rifled toothless her black hair streaked with gray tier her calico dress unspeakably dirty tier her hanl 1 like birds mclaws clasping tier her stick tile squaw stopped in front of the children eat she sold said pointing to her mouth tier sunken black eyes were fixed ou on kents little Int Pitt lence looked up and bean can to whimper with fear get out you old rip I 1 said kent catl insisted the squaw a certain ferocity in tier lier routine manner r did you walk clear in from the reservation asked lydia the squaw nodded and held out tier her scrawny hand band for the childrens inspection spec tion lon no eats all time no en eats ts I 1 you vou give eats poor 0 old lit woman oh kent ashes half starved I 1 lets ove her some of our lunch exclaimed lydia not on your life returned kent dirty lazy joal why dont they work if wed go halves wed have enough insisted lydia lydan you told me only for yourself ct out of here you old she the squaw did pot not so much as glance at kent iler eyes were fastened on lydia with the took look of a hungry expectant dog lydia ran tier her fengers through tier her damp curls and sighed then silo she gave gao little patience tier her share of the bread and butter and a cooky she laid the precious deviled egg in its twist of paper on top of the remainder of the bread and cookies and handed them to the in dann you cant have tiny of mine if you give yours youra apt warned kent 1 I dont wont want tiny any pig I 1 returned lydin the old squaw rec received elved the food with trembling fingers and broke into fiobo that tore at tier her old throat painfully she said something to lydin in Ind luri and then to the childrens surprise she bundled the food up in tier her skirt and started as rapidly as possible back in the direction whence she had come she q taking it back to some one said kent poor thing said lydia toor thing 1 sniffed kent it would be a good thing if they were all dead sly MY father says so well I 1 guess your father dont dozat know kilow everything snapped lydia said patience who had bad finished her lunch and was digging in the sand kent paused in the beginning of hta his attack on his last sandwich to look lyala over she was as aa thin as a half grown chicken in her wet bathing suit iler her dump damp curls clinging to her head and tier her eyes a little heavy with heat and weariness after tier her morning of play piny made macle her look scarcely older than patience kent confess even to himself how fond he was of lydia here he be sold said gruffly 1 I cant eat this |