Eight Cousins Read online

  Chapter 13--Cosey Corner

  Vacation was over, the boys went back to school, and poor Mac was leftlamenting. He was out of the darkened room now, and promoted to bluegoggles, through which he took a gloomy view of life, as might have beenexpected; for there was nothing he could do but wander about, and try toamuse himself without using his eyes. Anyone who has ever been condemnedto that sort of idleness knows how irksome it is, and can understand thestate of mind which caused Mac to say to Rose in a desperate tone oneday,

  "Look here, if you don't invent some new employment or amusement for me,I shall knock myself on the head as sure as you live."

  Rose flew to Uncle Alec for advice, and he ordered both patient andnurse to the mountains for a month, with Aunt Jessie and Jamie asescort. Pokey and her mother joined the party, and one bright Septembermorning six very happy-looking people were aboard the express train forPortland two smiling mammas, laden with luncheon baskets and wraps; apretty young girl with a bag of books on her arm; a tall thin lad withhis hat over his eyes; and two small children, who sat with their shortlegs straight out before them, and their chubby faces beaming with thefirst speechless delight of "truly travelling."

  An especially splendid sunset seemed to have been prepared to welcomethem when, after a long day's journey, they drove into a wide, greendoor-yard, where a white colt, a red cow, two cats, four kittens,many hens, and a dozen people, old and young, were gaily disportingthemselves. Everyone nodded and smiled in the friendliest manner, and alively old lady kissed the new-comers all round, as she said heartily,

  "Well, now, I'm proper glad to see you! Come right in and rest, andwe'll have tea in less than no time, for you must be tired. Lizzie, youshow the folks upstairs; Kitty, you fly round and help father in withthe trunks; and Jenny and I will have the table all ready by the timeyou come down. Bless the dears, they want to go see the pussies, and sothey shall!"

  The three pretty daughters did "fly round," and everyone felt at home atonce, all were so hospitable and kind. Aunt Jessie had raptures over thehome-made carpets, quilts and quaint furniture; Rose could not keep awayfrom the windows, for each framed a lovely picture; and the little folksmade friends at once with the other children, who filled their arms withchickens and kittens, and did the honours handsomely.

  The toot of a horn called all to supper, and a goodly party, includingsix children besides the Camp-bells, assembled in the long dining-room,armed with mountain appetites and the gayest spirits. It was impossiblefor anyone to be shy or sober, for such gales of merriment arose theyblew the starch out of the stiffest, and made the saddest jolly. MotherAtkinson, as all called their hostess, was the merriest there, and thebusiest; for she kept flying up to wait on the children, to bring outsome new dish, or to banish the live stock, who were of such a socialturn that the colt came into the entry and demanded sugar; the cats satabout in people's laps, winking suggestively at the food; and speckledhens cleared the kitchen floor of crumbs, as they joined in the chatwith a cheerful clucking.

  Everybody turned out after tea to watch the sunset till all the lovelyred was gone, and mosquitoes wound their shrill horns to sound theretreat. The music of an organ surprised the new-comers, and inthe parlor they found Father Atkinson playing sweetly on the littleinstrument made by himself. All the children gathered about him, and,led by the tuneful sisters, sang prettily till Pokey fell asleep behindthe door, and Jamie gaped audibly right in the middle of his favourite,

  "Coo," said the little doves: "Coo," said she, "All in the top of the old pine-tree."

  The older travellers, being tired, went to "bye low" at the same time,and slept like tops in home-spun sheets, on husk mattresses made byMother Atkinson, who seemed to have put some soothing powder among them,so deep and sweet was the slumber that came.

  Next day began the wholesome out-of-door life, which works such wonderswith tired minds and feeble bodies. The weather was perfect, and themountain air made the children as frisky as young lambs; while theelders went about smiling at one another, and saying, "Isn't itsplendid?" Even Mac, the "slow coach," was seen to leap over a fenceas if he really could not help it; and when Rose ran after him with hisbroad-brimmed hat, he made the spirited proposal to go into the woodsand hunt for a catamount.

  Jamie and Pokey were at once enrolled in the Cosey Corner Light Infantrya truly superb company, composed entirely of officers, all wearingcocked hats, carrying flags, waving swords, or beating drums. It was aspectacle to stir the dullest soul when this gallant band marched out ofthe yard in full regimentals, with Captain Dove a solemn, big-headedboy of eleven issuing his orders with the gravity of a general, and hisFalstaffian regiment obeying them with more docility than skill. Thelittle Snow children did very well, and Lieutenant Jack Dove was fineto see; so was Drummer Frank, the errand-boy of the house, as herub-a-dub-dubbed with all his heart and drumsticks. Jamie had "trained"before, and was made a colonel at once; but Pokey was the best of all,and called forth a spontaneous burst of applause from the spectatorsas she brought up the rear, her cocked hat all over one eye, her flagtrailing over her shoulder, and her wooden sword straight up in the air;her face beaming and every curl bobbing with delight as her fat legstottered in the vain attempt to keep step manfully.

  Mac and Rose were picking blackberries in the bushes beside the roadwhen the soldiers passed without seeing them, and they witnessed a sightthat was both pretty and comical. A little farther on was one of thefamily burial spots so common in those parts, and just this side of itCaptain Fred Dove ordered his company to halt, explaining his reason forso doing in the following words,

  "That's a graveyard, and it's proper to muffle the drums and lower theflags as we go by, and we'd better take off our hats, too; it's morerespectable, I think."

  "Isn't that cunning of the dears?" whispered Rose, as the little troopmarched slowly by to the muffled roll of the drums, every flag and swordheld low, all the little heads uncovered, and the childish faces verysober as the leafy shadows flickered over them.

  "Let's follow and see what they are after," proposed Mac, who foundsitting on the wall and being fed with blackberries luxurious buttiresome.

  So they followed and heard the music grow lively, saw the banners wavein the breeze again when the graveyard was passed, and watched thecompany file into the dilapidated old church that stood at the corner ofthree woodland roads. Presently the sound of singing made the outsidersquicken their steps, and, stealing up, they peeped in at one of thebroken windows.

  Captain Dove was up in the old wooden pulpit, gazing solemnly down uponhis company, who, having stacked their arms in the porch, now sat in thebare pews singing a Sunday-school hymn with great vigour and relish.

  "Let us pray," said Captain Dove, with as much reverence as an armychaplain; and, folding his hands, he repeated a prayer which he thoughtall would know an excellent little prayer, but not exactly appropriateto the morning, for it was,

  "Now I lay me down to sleep."

  Everyone joined in saying it, and it was a pretty sight to see thelittle creatures bowing their curly heads and lisping out the words theyknew so well. Tears came into Rose's eyes as she looked; Mac took hishat off involuntarily, and then clapped it on again as if ashamed ofshowing any feeling.

  "Now I shall preach you a short sermon, and my text is, 'Littlechildren, love one another.' I asked mamma to give me one, and shethought that would be good; so you all sit still and I'll preach it. Youmustn't whisper, Marion, but hear me. It means that we should be good toeach other, and play fair, and not quarrel as we did this very day aboutthe wagon. Jack can't always drive, and needn't be mad because I liketo go with Frank. Annette ought to be horse sometimes and not alwaysdriver; and Willie may as well make up his mind to let Marion build herhouse by his, for she will do it, and he needn't fuss about it. Jamieseems to be a good boy, but I shall preach to him if he isn't. No,Pokey, people don't kiss in church or put their hats on. Now you mustall remember what I tell you, because I am the captain, and you shoul
dmind me."

  Here Lieutenant Jack spoke right out in meeting with the rebelliousremark,

  "Don't care if you are; you'd better mind yourself, and tell how youtook away my strap, and kept the biggest doughnut, and didn't draw fairwhen we had the truck."

  "Yes, and you slapped Frank; I saw you!" bawled Willie Snow, bobbing upin his pew.

  "And you took my book away and hid it 'cause I wouldn't go and swingwhen you wanted me to," added Annette, the oldest of the Snow trio.

  "I shan't build my house by Willie's if he don't want me to, so now!"put in little Marion, joining the mutiny.

  "I will tiss Dimmy! and I tored up my hat 'tause a pin picked me,"shouted Pokey, regardless of Jamie's efforts to restrain her.

  Captain Dove looked rather taken aback at this outbreak in the ranks;but, being a dignified and calm personage, he quelled the risingrebellion with great tact and skill, by saying, briefly,

  "We'll sing the last hymn; 'Sweet, sweet good-by' you all know that, sodo it nicely, and then we will go and have luncheon."

  Peace was instantly restored, and a burst of melody drowned thesuppressed giggles of Rose and Mac, who found it impossible to keepsober during the latter part of this somewhat remarkable service.Fifteen minutes of repose rendered it a physical impossibility for thecompany to march out as quietly as they had marched in. I grieve tostate that the entire troop raced home as hard as they could pelt, andwere soon skirmishing briskly over their lunch, utterly oblivious ofwhat Jamie (who had been much impressed by the sermon) called "thecaptain's beautiful teck."

  It was astonishing how much they all found to do at Cosey Corner;and Mac, instead of lying in a hammock and being read to, as he hadexpected, was busiest of all. He was invited to survey and lay outSkeeterville, a town which the children were getting up in a huckleberrypasture; and he found much amusement in planning little roads, stakingoff house-lots, attending to the water-works, and consulting with the"selectmen" about the best sites for public buildings; for Mac was a boystill, in spite of his fifteen years and his love of books.

  Then he went fishing with a certain jovial gentleman from the West; andthough they seldom caught anything but colds, they had great fun andexercise chasing the phantom trout they were bound to have. Mac alsodeveloped a geological mania, and went tapping about at rocks andstones, discoursing wisely of "strata, periods, and fossil remains";while Rose picked up leaves and lichens, and gave him lessons in botanyin return for his lectures on geology.

  They led a very merry life; for the Atkinson girls kept up a sort ofperpetual picnic; and did it so capitally, that one was never tired ofit. So their visitors throve finely, and long before the month was outit was evident that Dr. Alec had prescribed the right medicine for hispatients.