CHAPTER V
A BIRTHDAY
In a few days Anna's feet were healed, and, wearing her soft moccasins,she could run about as well as ever. But her father and mother werequick to see that a great change had come over their little daughter.She no longer wanted to be called "Dan"; she told her mother that shewanted her hair to grow long, and she even asked Rebecca to teach herhow to sew more evenly and with tinier stitches.
For Anna had made a firm resolve; she would try in every possible way tobe like Melvina Lyon. She gave up so many of her out-of-door games thatMrs. Weston looked at her a little anxiously, fearing that the childmight not be well. Every day Anna walked up the path to the church, andlingered about hoping for a glimpse of Melvina; but a week passed andthe little girls did not meet.
At last the day came when Mr. Weston was ready to start for the forestto select the liberty tree; but, greatly to his surprise, Anna said thatshe did not wish to go, and he started off without her.
This was the first real sacrifice Anna had made toward becoming likeMelvina. She was quite sure that Melvina would not go for a tramp in theforest. "It would spoil her clothes," reflected Anna, and lookedregretfully at her own stout gingham dress, wishing it could be changedand become like one of Melvina's dresses of flounced linen.
"I would look more like her if I wore better dresses," she decided.
"Mother, may I not wear my Sunday dress?" she asked eagerly. "I will notplay any games, or hurt it. I will only walk as far as the church andback."
For a moment Mrs. Weston hesitated. It seemed a foolish thing to letAnna wear her best dress on a week day; but the little girl had been soquiet and unhappy since the night of her adventure that her motherdecided to allow her this privilege; and Anna ran up-stairs, and in afew minutes had put on her Sunday dress. It was a blue muslin with tinywhite dots, and the neck and sleeves were edged with tiny whiteruffles. It had been Rebecca's best dress for several summers, until sheoutgrew it, and it was made over for the younger girl, but Anna was veryproud of it, and stood on tiptoe to see herself reflected in the narrowmirror between the windows of the sitting-room. Her mother had made asunbonnet of the same material as the dress, and Anna put this on withsatisfaction. Always before this she had despised a sunbonnet, and neverhad she put it on of her own accord. But to-day she looked at itapprovingly. "No one would know but that my hair is long, and braided,just like Melvina's," she thought as she walked slowly toward thekitchen.
"I will only walk to the church and straight back, Mother dear," shesaid, "and then I will put on my gingham dress, and sew on mypatchwork."
"That's a good girl. You look fine enough for a party," responded hermother, and stood at the door watching Anna as she walked soberly downthe path.
"I know not what has come over the child," she thought, with a littlesigh. "To be sure, she is more like other little girls, and perhaps itis well;" but Mrs. Weston sighed again, as if regretting her noisy,singing "Dan," who seemed to have vanished forever.
When Anna reached the church she stood for a moment looking wistfullytoward the parsonage. "If Mrs. Lyon could see me now she would not thinkme a tomboy," thought Anna; and with the thought came a new inspiration:why should not Mrs. Lyon see her dressed as neatly as Melvina herself,and with the objectionable short hair hidden from sight?
"I will go and call," decided Anna, her old courage returning; "and Iwill behave so well that Mrs. Lyon will ask me to come often and playwith Melvina," and, quite forgetting to walk quietly, she raced alongthe path in her old-time fashion until she was at the minister's door.Then she rapped, and stood waiting, a little breathless, but smilinghappily, quite sure that a little girl in so pretty a dress and so neata sunbonnet would receive a warm welcome. Perhaps Mrs. Lyon would cometo the door, she thought hopefully.
But it was Melvina herself who opened the door. Melvina, wearing a whitedress and a long apron.
For a moment the two little girls stood looking at each other insurprise. Then Melvina smiled radiantly. "Oh! It really is you, Anna!Come in. I am keeping house this afternoon, and nobody will know thatyou are here."
"But I came to call on your mother. I wanted her to see me," explainedAnna.
But Melvina did not seem to notice this explanation. She took Anna'shand and drew her into the house.
"Oh, Dan! wasn't it fun to wade and run on the shore?" said Melvinaeagerly, as the two girls entered the big pleasant kitchen. "I didn'tmind being wet or frightened or punished. Did you?"
"I wasn't punished," Anna responded meekly.
"I was. I was sent to bed without my supper for three nights; and I hadto learn two tables of figures," declared Melvina triumphantly. "But Ididn't care. For I have a splendid plan----" But before Melvina couldsay another word the kitchen door opened and Mrs. Lyon entered.
At first she did not recognize Anna, and smiled pleasantly at the neat,quiet little girl in the pretty dress and sunbonnet. "And who is thislittle maid?" she asked.
"I am Anna Western," Anna replied quickly, making a clumsy curtsy.
Mrs. Lyon's smile vanished. She thought to herself that Anna had takenadvantage of her absence to steal into the house, perhaps to enticeMelvina for some rough game out-of-doors.
"I came to call," Anna continued bravely, her voice faltering a little."I wanted to say I was sorry for being mischievous."
Mrs. Lyon's face softened, and she noticed approvingly that Anna's shortcurly locks were covered by the sunbonnet, and that she was dressed inher best; but she was still a little doubtful.
"Well, Anna, I am glad indeed that you are so right-minded. It is mostproper that you should be sorry. I doubt not that your good parentspunished you severely for your fault," said Mrs. Lyon. But she did notask Anna to sit down, or to remove her sunbonnet. Melvina looked fromAnna to her mother, not knowing what to say.
"I think I must go now," said Anna, almost ready to cry. "Good-bye,Melvina; good-afternoon, Mrs. Lyon," and making another awkward curtsyAnna turned toward the door.
"Oh, Danna! Don't go," called Melvina, running toward her; but Mrs.Lyon's firm hand held her back.
"Good-afternoon, Anna! I hope you will grow into a good and obedientgirl," she said kindly.
Anna's tears now came thick and fast. She could hardly see the path asshe stumbled along. But if she could have heard Melvina's words as hermother held her back from the kitchen door, she would have felt that hervisit had been worth while. For Melvina had exclaimed, greatly to Mrs.Lyon's dismay: "Oh, Mother! Ask her to come again. For I want to beexactly like Danna, and do all the things she does."
Luretta Foster, coming down the path, stopped short and stared at Annain amazement. It was surprising enough to see Anna dressed as if readyfor church, but to see her in tears was almost unbelievable.
"What is the matter, Danna?" she asked, coming close to her littlefriend's side, and endeavoring to peer under the sunbonnet. "Would notyour father let you go with him to the forest?"
Anna made no answer, and when Luretta put a friendly arm about hershoulders, she drew a little away.
"Do not cry, Dan. My brother Paul has gone to the forest with yourfather, and he promised to bring me home a rabbit to tame for a pet. Iwill give it to you, Dan," said Luretta.
For a moment Anna forgot her troubles. "Will you, truly, Luretta?" andshe pushed back her sunbonnet that she might see her friend moreclearly.
"Yes, I will. And I will give you a nice box with slats across the top,and a little door at the end that Paul made yesterday for the rabbit tolive in," Luretta promised generously. "I do not suppose Melvina Lyonwould know a rabbit from a wolf," she continued laughingly, quite surethat Anna would suggest asking Melvina to come and see their tame wolf.But Anna did nothing of the sort.
"Melvina knows more than any girl in this settlement," Anna repliedquickly. "She can do sums in fractions, and she can embroider, and makecakes. And she is brave, too."
"Why, Dan Weston! And only last we
ek you made fun of her, and said thatall those things were of no account," exclaimed Luretta.
For a moment the two little friends walked on in silence, and then Annaspoke.
"Luretta, I'll tell you something. I am going to try to be exactly likeMelvina Lyon. Everybody praises her, and your mother and mine are alwayssaying that she is well-behaved. And I am going to let my hair grow longand be well-behaved. But don't tell anyone," Anna added quickly, "for Iwant Mrs. Lyon to find it out first of all."
"Oh, Dan! And won't you make funny rhymes any more? Or play on thetimber-rafts--or--or--anything?" asked Luretta.
"I don't believe there is any harm in making rhymes. It's something youcan't help," responded Anna thoughtfully. "And Parson Lyon has written abook," she added quickly, as if that in some way justified her jingles.
"I don't want you to be different, Dan!" declared Luretta.
Anna stopped and looked at her friend reproachfully. "Well, LurettaFoster, I am surprised!" she said, and then clasping Luretta's hand shestarted to run down the path, saying: "Let's hurry, so I can take offthis dress; then we will walk a little way toward the forest to see ifFather and Paul are coming. Will you truly; give me the rabbit if Paulcaptures one?"
"Yes, I will," promised Luretta; but she began to wish that she had notsuggested such a thing. If Danna was going to be exactly like MelvinaLyon, thought Luretta, a rabbit would not receive much attention.
Rebecca was sitting on the front step busy with her knitting as the twolittle girls came up the path. It was her birthday, but so far no onehad seemed to remember it. The _Polly_ had not reached port, so the finepresent she had been promised could not be expected. But Rebecca wassurprised and disappointed that everyone had seemed to forget that shewas fourteen on the tenth of May. But as she looked up and saw Annadressed in her best, and Luretta beside her, coming up the path, Rebby'sface brightened. "I do believe Mother has planned a surprise for me,"she thought happily. "Oh, there comes Lucia! Now I am sure that Motherhas asked her to come, and perhaps some of the other girls," and Rebeccaput down her knitting and stood up, smiling at the girls expectantly,for she was quite sure that their first words would be a birthdaygreeting.
At that moment Mrs. Weston, busy in her kitchen, remembered suddenlythat it was September tenth. "My Rebby's birthday! And, with my mindfull of all the worry about being shut off from the world by Britishcruisers, and provisions growing so scarce, I had forgotten," and Mrs.Weston left her work and reached the front door just as Rebecca rose toher feet to greet her friends.
"Fourteen to-day, Rebby dear," said Mrs. Weston, putting her arm abouther tall daughter and kissing Rebecca.
At the same moment, hearing her mother's words, Anna ran forward callingout: "Rebby is fourteen to-day."
Luretta and Lucia were close behind her, and Rebecca found herself thecentre of a smiling happy group, and for the moment quite forgot thatshe must do without the present from Boston that her father had promisedher.