CHAPTER III.
"STARTING DAY."
AS the days went by, the children grew very restless, wishing the"starting day" would come. Ted's Mamma had packed his little trunk, andmarked it "T. T.," and finally, when only one more day remained of the"between days," as the children called them, Mr. and Mrs. Terry hadbidden their little son good-bye and started off on their own journey.So Teddy was all the more glad when the "great day" came at last.
"Hurrah, hurrah, Polly! This is our starting day! Polly, why don't youhalloo?"
"I'm _going_ to halloo," replied Polly: "listen!" And her voice rang outin a clear shout which reached even down to the gate.
"Once more," cried Teddy, and this time his voice joined hers, andMamma, coming to the hall door, looked out to see what was going on.
"Teddy's Mamma had packed his little trunk."]
"It's 'cause we're so glad, Mamma dearie," replied Polly to the questionasked, "and it's our starting day, you know." She was perched upon thepiazza rail nearest the piazza of Teddy's house, and Teddy was to havebreakfast with her presently. Just now he was having his jacket wellbrushed by Bridget, as he stood on his own piazza, and he was soimpatient to get over to Polly that he could hardly stand still longenough for the brushing.
"Goin' inter the dirty wudshed just to see 'bout that tricircle," saidBridget, grumbling as she brushed, "an' s'ilin' this bran' new suit yerMa bought for yer trav'lin'! I told yer I'd put it safe away!"
"Well, I wanted to see if you hadn't only _thought_ you'd put it safe,"explained Teddy, who had considered it a very manly thing to investigatehis affairs himself, and had consequently gotten his new clothes intodisgrace.
"There now, yer clane and swate as a rose, an' it's ould Bridgie who'llbe missin' the trouble of yersel', an' for sure'll be wantin' some moreof that same!" said the good woman, giving him a parting hug and patbefore he was off to join Polly. At half-past nine the carriage was tocome for them and their trunks, and they would catch the ten a. m. trainfor New York, and say good-bye to their pretty village home for a longtime. It was truly a very exciting morning, and Polly's mood for rhymingwas so strong that she finally accomplished this wonderful couplet,which Teddy admired as much as she did herself. It ran this way:--
"Oh, Teddy Terry! we're going away! For this--this--this is our _starting_ day!"
So Ted caught the rhyme, and joined in the singing of it, and if it wassung once, it certainly was sung twenty times, till at last Papa put hishead out of the window and asked "if they would mind giving him and theneighbors something _new_?"
Breakfast over, the little couple sat down on the sofa in the hall andwatched the clock, and at last the little hammer inside lifted itselfand struck against the bell waiting beside it, and lo and behold! therecame the carriage, driving up the road, and through the big gate, and upto the door. Then the trunks were put on the rack behind (while Teddywatched closely to see that the man did not forget to go and get the "T.T." little trunk).
Bridget and Ann were on hand to say the last good-byes, Mamma gave a fewlast directions, and entered the carriage, Papa poked the small couplein, topsy-turvy style, got in himself, called out good-bye to theservants, who were wiping their eyes with the corners of their aprons,and--the long-anticipated "start" had taken place.
Polly was radiant. She hugged Papa, squeezed Mamma, threw her armsaround Teddy, and kissed him over and over (getting as many kisses fromhim as she gave, you may be sure), and finally settled down with a longsigh of deep, pure content, and said "she was so happy she felt crowdedinside of her, right up to her throat!" And Teddy, not willing to feeldifferent from Polly, said: "So do I!"
I won't be able to tell you very much of the short journey to the cityof New York, for I've neither time nor space for it. But you know Pollyand Teddy were just like you, my dear little girls and boys, and theyenjoyed the few hours of train ride past fields and villages, hills andmeadows, and all the various kinds of landscape views, they watched fromthe windows of their car, just as much as you have enjoyed such littletrips; and, moreover, they were just as restless and fidgety--whenfeeling that they wanted to have a good run about, and couldn't "becausethey were shut up in a railroad car so long!"--as all little folks (whoare real _live_ little folks) are apt to get under such circumstances.But the cars sped on and on, and after a while they rushed pell-mellinto a long dark tunnel, which Polly at once recognized as the"beginning of the end" of their journey to New York City.
"Now, jus' as soon as we get into the light again, and under a big highroof, and the cars stop, that will be New York! Oh, Teddy Terry, aren'tyou glad we're almost there?"
In his excitement Teddy forgot where he was, and, jumping to his feet,he shouted: "Whoop!" as loudly as if he had been standing in his owngarden at home. Then, with an immediate sense of his mistake, the littleboy dropped again into his seat, and covered his mouth with both hands,while his little crimson face was a pitiful sight to see.
"Oh, I forgot!" said he. "I truly did forget; but I did feel so full ofhalloo, I--I--it came right out 'fore I guessed it would!" He lookedvery penitent, but whispered to Polly:
"Don't you wish you could halloo, Polly darling? I should think youwould!"
"Teddy Terry, I'm just _bursting_ to halloo as loud as I can, but Is'pose we'll have to keep on wanting to and never doing it while we'reEuropean travelers. It'll be hard holding in, Teddy; but we've truly gotto, else Mamma and Papa'll be 'shamed of our queerness again, don't yousee?"
Teddy saw, and made up his mind to crowd his "hallooing feelings" asdeeply down inside of him as possible in future; and just then the traingave a jerk, and began to move again very slowly, and at last New Yorkwas reached.