________________________________________________
_ After supper that night, Bab and Betty sat
in the old porch playing with Josephus and
Belinda, and discussing the events of the
day; for the appearance of the strange boy and his
dog had been a most exciting occurrence in their
quiet lives. They had seen nothing of him since
morning, as he took his meals at the Squire's, and
was at work with Pat in a distant field when the children
passed. Sancho had stuck closely to his master,
evidently rather bewildered by the new order of
things, and bound to see that no harm happened to
Ben.
"I wish they'd come. It's sundown, and I heard
the cows mooing, so I know they have gone home,"
said Betty, impatiently; for she regarded the new-comer
in the light of an entertaining book, and wished
to read on as fast as possible.
"I'm going to learn the signs he makes when he
wants Sancho to dance; then we can have fun with
him whenever we like. He's the dearest dog I ever
saw!" answered Bab, who was fonder of animals than
her sister.
"Ma said -- Ow, what's that?" cried Betty with a
start, as something bumped against the gate outside;
and in a moment Ben's head peeped over the top as
he swung himself up to the iron arch, in the middle
of which was the empty lantern frame.
"Please to locate, gentlemen; please to locate.
The performance is about to begin with the great
Flyin' Coopid act, in which Master Bloomsbury has
appeared before the crowned heads of Europe.
Pronounced by all beholders the most remarkable youthful
progidy agoin'. Hooray ! here we are!"
Having rattled off the familiar speech in Mr.
Smithers's elegant manner, Ben begin to cut up such
capers that even a party of dignified hens, going
down the avenue to bed, paused to look on with
clucks of astonishment, evidently fancying that salt
had set him to fluttering and tumbling as it did them.
Never had the old gate beheld such antics, though it
had seen gay doings in its time; for of all the boys
who had climbed over it, not one had ever stood
on his head upon each of the big balls which ornamented
the posts, hung by his heels from the arch,
gone round and round like a wheel with the bar for
an axis, played a tattoo with his toes while holding
on by his chin, walked about the wall on his hands,
or closed the entertainment by festooning himself
in an airy posture over the side of the lantern frame,
and kissing his hand to the audience as a well-bred
Cupid is supposed to do on making his bow.
The little girls clapped and stamped enthusiastically,
while Sancho, who had been calmly surveying the
show, barked his approval as he leaped up to snap at
Ben's feet.
"Come down and tell what you did up at the
Squire's. Was he cross? Did you have to work
hard? Do you like it?" asked Bab, when the noise
had subsided.
"It's cooler up here," answered Ben, composing
himself in the frame, and fanning his hot face with a
green spray broken from the tall bushes rustling odorously
all about him. "I did all sorts of jobs. The
old gentleman wasn't cross; he gave me a dime, and
I like him first-rate. But I just hate 'Carrots; ' he
swears at a feller, and fired a stick of wood at me.
Guess I'll pay him off when I get a chance."
Fumbling in his pocket to show the bright dime, he
found the torn page, and remembered the thirst for
information which had seized him in the morning.
"Look here, tell me about this, will you? What
are these chaps up to? The ink has spoilt all but the
picture and this bit of reading. I want to know what
it means. Take it to 'em, Sanch."
The dog caught the leaf as it fluttered to the ground,
and carrying it carefully in his mouth, deposited it at
the feet of the little girls, seating himself before them
with an air of deep interest. Bab and Betty picked it
up and read it aloud in unison, while Ben leaned from
his perch to listen and learn.
"'When day dawned,land was visible. A pleasant
land it was. There were gay flowers, and tall trees
with leaves and fruit, such as they had never seen before.
On the shore were unclad copper-colored men,
gazing with wonder at the Spanish ships. They took
them for great birds, the white sails for their wings,
and the Spaniards for superior beings brought down
from heaven on their backs."
"Why, that's Columbus finding San Salvador.
Don't you know about him?" demanded Bab, as if
she were one of the "superior beings," and intimately
acquainted with the immortal Christopher.
"No, I don't. Who was he any way? I s'pose
that's him paddlin' ahead; but which of the Injuns is
Sam Salvindoor?" asked Ben, rather ashamed of his
ignorance, but bent on finding out now he had begun.
"My gracious! twelve years old and not know your
Quackenbos!" laughed Bab, much amused, but rather
glad to find that she could teach the "whirligig
boy" something, for she considered him a remarkable
creature.
"I don't care a bit for your quackin' boss, whoever
he is. Tell about this fine feller with the ships; I
like him," persisted Ben.
So Bab, with frequent interruptions and hints from
Betty, told the wonderful tale in a simple way, which
made it easy to understand; for she liked history, and
had a lively tongue of her own.
"I'd like to read some more. Would my ten cents
buy a book?" asked Ben, anxious to learn a little
since Bab laughed at him.
"No, indeed! I'll lend you mine when I'm not
using it, and tell you all about it," promised Bab;
forgetting that she did not know "all about it" herself
yet.
"I don't have any time only evenings, and then
may be you'II want it," begun Ben, in whom the inky
page had roused a strong curiosity.
"I do get my history in the evening, but you could
have it mornings before school."
"I shall have to go off early, so there won't be any
chance. Yes, there will, -- I'LL tell you how to do it.
Let me read while I drive up the cows. Squire likes
'em to eat slow along the road, so's to keep the grass
short and save mowin'. Pat said so, and I could do
history instead of loafin' round!" cried Ben full of
this bright idea.
"How will I get my book back in time to recite?"
asked Bab, prudently.
"Oh, I'll leave it on the window-sill, or put it inside
the door as I go back. I'll be real careful, and just
as soon as I earn enough, I'll buy you a new one and
take the old one. Will you?"
"Yes; but I'll tell you a nicer way to do. Don't
put the book on the window, 'cause teacher will see
you; or inside the door, 'cause some one may steal
it. You put it in my cubby-houae, right at the corner
of the wall nearest the big maple. You'll find a
cunning place between the roots that stick up under
the flat stone. That's my closet, and I keep things
there. It's the best cubby of all, and we take turns
to have it."
"I'll find it, and that'll be a first-rate place," said
Ben, much gratified.
"I could put my reading-book in sometimes, if
you'd like it. There's lots of pretty stories in it and
pictures," proposed Betty, rather timidly; for she
wanted to share the benevolent project, but had little
to offer, not being as good a scholar as Bab.
"I'd like a 'rithmetic better. I read tip-top, but I
ain't much on 'rithmetic"; so, if you can spare yours,
I might take a look at it. Now I'm goin' to earn
wages, I ought to know about addin' 'em up, and so
on," said Ben, with the air of a Vanderbilt oppressed
with the care of millions.
"I'll teach you that. Betty doesn't know much
about sums. But she spells splendidly, and is always
at the head of her class. Teacher is real proud of her,
'cause she never misses, and spells hard, fussy words,
like chi-rog-ra-phy and bron-chi-tis as easy as any
thing.
Bab quite beamed with sisterly pride, and Betty
smoothed down her apron with modest satisfaction,
for Bab seldom praised her, and she liked it very
much.
"I never went to school, so that's the reason I ain't
smart. I can write, though, better 'n some of the boys
up at school. I saw lots of names on the shed door.
See here, now," -- and scrambling down, Ben pulled
out a cherished bit of chalk, and flourished off ten
letters of the alphabet, one on each of the dark stone
slabs that paved the walk.
"Those are beautiful! I can't make such curly
ones. Who taught you to do it? " asked Bab, as she
and Betty walked up and down admiring them.
"Horse blankets," answered Ben, soberly.
"What!" cried both girls, stopping to stare.
"Our horses all had their names on their blankets,
and I used to copy 'em. The wagons had signs, and I
learned to read that way after father taught me my
letters off the red and yellow posters. First word I
knew was lion, 'cause I was always goin' to see old
Jubal in his cage. Father was real proud when I read
it right off. I can draw one, too."
Ben proceeded to depict an animal intended to
represent his lost friend; but Jubal would not have
recognized his portrait, since it looked much more
like Sancho than the king of the forest. The children
admired it immensely, however, and Ben gave them
a lesson in natural history which was so interesting
that it kept them busy and happy till bedtime; for
the boy described what he had seen in such lively
language, and illustrated in such a droll way, it was
no wonder they were charmed. _
Read next: CHAPTER VII. NEW FRIENDS TROT IN
Read previous: CHAPTER V. BEN GETS A PLACE
Table of content of Under the Lilacs
GO TO TOP OF SCREEN
Post your review
Your review will be placed after the table of content of this book
