My Young Days

  II.

  _UNCLE HUGH'S STORY._

  Yes, tea alone in the nursery, that strange room that looked as if ithadn't been a nursery for a great many years, and was as queer andawkward as an old woman trying to look young again. No clatter of spoonsto make baby laugh, no chatter of childish voices, only little me, allalone with Jane--little me, so puzzled and strange and bewildered in thenew place! Perhaps Jane thought me dull, for she talked away fastenough, about that dear old lady, my grandmamma, and about the beautifulplace we were in, and what if Master Bobbie should grow up some day tofind it all his own, and be the lord of it all. I didn't care much if hedid; I only wanted him now, little boy as he was, to put his fat armsround my neck, for I was "little sister" to nobody here; it was meremockery calling me "Miss Sissy" all the time. Perhaps Jane heard thesigh, for she stopped afterwards in the middle of her long story aboutthe little cousins from over the sea, that were coming here in a day ortwo. She had me on her lap, and she was just taking off my shoes andsocks, but she drew my head to her shoulder, and told me that I had"Janie-panie" with me, who was always going to take care of me all thetime. I was very tired, and my eyes went shut on the pillow after that,before they had time to cry home-sick tears. And next day there were somany new things to see; two little puppies to make friends with, besidethe parrot and pussy.

  But I mustn't begin to tell you all the things that happened that day.You see, I have made quite a long story of my first evening, so you musttry and fancy all about the walk in the park with Jane, and the drivewith Grandmamma to the town, and the toy-shop, and what we bought there.

  When we came home it was my tea-time; and after that Jane changed myfrock, and did my hair, and took me down to dessert, in the dining-room.Ah, then the shy fit came on, and I bent my head very gravely to takethe sweet bits off Uncle Hugh's fork, I remember. But when he hadpushed back his chair, given his arm to grandmamma, and his hand to me,and taken us into the drawing-room--then, while he made me nestle downon his knee in the soft easy-chair, all my shyness went away at the lookof his merry eyes.

  "Now for the goose that Jack killed," he said; and then and there beganthe funniest story you ever heard. Only I can't tell it in the funnywords and with the merry, twinkling glances he gave me.

  THE DOG THAT CHASED THE CAT.]

  It was when Uncle Hugh was a middy, and he had been sailing in a greatbig ship ever so long, till at last they came to some foreign country, Idon't know where. Well, Uncle Hugh and his friend Jack Miller wentroaming about, very glad to get off the sea. They took possession of alittle empty hut on the beach, and spent some of the time there, andsome of the time roaming about on the hills. Now it chanced, one day,that they saw a flock of wild geese flying over the shore. Jack had agun with him, and he instantly shot one of these geese. Uncle Hugh saysthey had had so much salt meat at sea, that they smacked their lips tothink of a nice fat goose for dinner. So they carried it off to theirhut, and then they pulled off all the feathers one by one, and made itquite ready to cook. What funny cooks they must have been! But it wasn'tquite time to roast it, so they tied it up by a string to the door andwent away, leaving the captain's dog, Neptune, to watch it.

  THE THIEF THAT STOLE THE GOOSE.]

  Now, Nep was a very funny dog--a nervous dog, Uncle Hugh called him--andhe was quite afraid something would happen. By and by, poor pussy cameto have a peep at the goosey-gander, and she climbed up the steps ontip-toe just to look. Nep watched her, and didn't feel easy in his mind,and when poor pussy just stretched forward her head (because she was alittle short-sighted, I dare say), Nep could bear it no longer. He gavea great loud bark, and flew along the road after the wretched, flyingcat. Silly dog! while he was gone after puss, and just as he had hisfore-paws quite over her back, up comes a sly thief to the hut door,quietly unhooks the bird, and runs off the other way, with its headhanging over his shoulder. "And, so, you see, Sissy," said Uncle Hughin his funnily grave way, "poor Jack and I came back to find our dinnerall gone!" But they got scent of the thief, and they caught him and shuthim up in their little hut, and locked him in, and left him with nothingbut bread and water. "For there was no policeman there, Sissy; we had toplay policemen ourselves."

  THE DREAM THAT HAUNTED THE THIEF.]

  And there they left him all night. And the poor thief thought about hislittle hungry children at home, till he fell asleep and dreamt (I wonderhow Uncle Hugh knew that?) that he saw the goose all smoking hot, gravyand all, and a knife and fork all ready to cut it up.

  But they didn't mean to be cruel--I don't believe Uncle Hugh could be!So they had a nice, hot supper themselves on board the big ship, andplenty of fun, and lots of merry songs. And then they cut three bigslices and put them aside.

  And don't you think the thief-man must have been surprised when he sawthe nice breakfast that Jack brought him next morning? I think UncleHugh said that he wrapped it all up and took it home to his children.How queer he must have felt as he slunk off, the sailors standing roundand giving him three cheers and plenty of jokes!