Read Ebook: Kitty's Picnic and Other Stories by Anonymous

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Ebook has 171 lines and 9207 words, and 4 pages

Kitty's Picnic Ellen's Letter That Dear Duck Little Miss Muffle A New Red Riding-Hood Lilla's Doll Show Selina and her Doll

It was a fine spring morning, and Kitty sat at the window looking out at the green fields and the trees with their young leaves, and far, far beyond these to some towers that looked small in the distance, but when you came close to them you found that they belonged to a grand old castle in ruins.

This castle Kitty had long wished to see, for she had heard so much about it; and to-day she was thinking very much about it, for she knew that there was going to be a great picnic, to which her cousins were going, and Kitty wished she were going also, but she had not been invited. As she gazed out of the window she saw several carriages full of people on their way to the picnic. Then the tears came into Kitty's eyes, and she dropped the book she was holding in her hand, and opened the window so that she might see the carriages more clearly. They were going very quickly, and Kitty could hear the people laughing and talking as she watched them out of sight.

She gave a great sigh.

'How much I should like to go!' she said, half aloud.

Just then the door opened, and her Uncle George walked into the room.

'Why, Uncle George, where have you come from?' said Kitty, jumping up. 'I thought you were not coming home till next week.'

'I came home last night,' said Uncle George, 'but I did not expect to find you here. I thought you would be going to the picnic.'

'I should like to go,' said Kitty, 'but I was not invited. I do not know Mrs. Somers.'

'Neither do I,' said Uncle George; 'but suppose we have a little picnic of our own, Kitty? I have got my dog-cart at the door, and there is room in the castle grounds for a dozen picnic parties; and we should not take up much room.'

Kitty clapped her hands.

'Put on your hat, then, and we will go,' said Uncle George. 'My little Kitty shall see the castle, and climb the ruins.'

'Oh, Uncle George, how good you are!' said Kitty, as they drove along. 'I never thought I should be so happy as I am to-day.'

'But, Kitty,' said Uncle George very gravely, 'I am afraid it can't be quite a picnic, for we have brought nothing to eat with us. What shall we do?'

'I shan't mind,' said Kitty; 'but I am afraid that you will be hungry, Uncle George.'

Uncle George smiled.

'Well, we won't be starved, Kitty; there is a nice little country inn close by, where I put up my horse, and I daresay we shall manage to get something there.'

And so they did; and Kitty saw the old castle, and when she drove home she said it was the happiest day she had ever spent.

'You must be sure to write it all down, Jessy,' said Ellen, looking over her sister's shoulder: 'you must tell how naughty Bob was, and how he threw your doll on the fire, and all the wax melted, and that he broke my doll's arms and legs, so that I have had to sew them all over to keep the bran from running out.'

'Yes--and how he trampled on our gardens, and broke down my rose-bush and all my pinks. I don't think I shall have room for all the things there are to tell mamma about him. There never was such a naughty boy! When he gets one of his tempers he does not seem to know what he is doing.'

And Ellen leaned down on the table, and went on writing.

Just then the door opened, and Bob himself came in. He was a fat, rosy little boy, and he did not look very fierce now; indeed, he looked quite meek and gentle. He came up to his sisters, and said, 'Bob is sorry; he won't spoil dolls and gardens again.'

'Ah! it is too late now, Bob,' said Ellen; 'you have spoiled everything; and I am telling mamma all about it in my letter, so she won't bring you the baker's cart and the whip that you wanted.'

You are a very naughty boy, Bob,' said Jessy, 'and I am not going to play with you again.'

Bob went very red.

'Take care; he's going into a temper again,' said Ellen, as Bob made a snatch at the letter she was writing. She held it out of his reach, and then he gave a loud scream and began crying with all his might.

'I'll go to nurse!' he cried, rushing out of the room, shouting as loud as he could.

'He is the worst boy that ever lived!' said Jessy.

'Now we'll get on with the letter,' said Ellen.

But just then they heard another scream--which was not Bob--and then a bumping noise on the stairs.

'He's fallen down-stairs. Perhaps he's killed,' said Jessy, turning pale. And the two girls ran to see what was the matter.

Yes, Bob, in his passion, did not see where he was going, and he slipped, and fell from the top of the stairs to the bottom.

'Oh, nurse, is he much hurt?' cried Ellen, for nurse and the rest of the servants were there.

It was a long time before Bob came to himself.

The doctor was sent for, and he found that Bob's arm was broken; and poor Bob had to suffer a great deal of pain in having it set.

'Poor Bob!' said Ellen to Jessy; 'we won't send our letter to mamma.'

'No,' said Jessy; 'it will be a great trouble to mamma to find poor Bob so ill. We will not give her any more trouble.' And she tore up the letter.

But another letter was written to mamma to tell her what had happened, and she came at once.

Bob was lying quite still, muttering something to himself, but only loud enough for Ellen and Jessy to hear the word 'Naughty, naughty.'

'But we did not think you would fall down-stairs, Bob,' said Jessy.

Bob looked up at Jessy, and said, 'No, no; naughty Bob, not naughty Jessy.'

'Yes,' said Farmer Jones, looking down at them over the top bar of the gate, 'you may come and play in the field for a bit; only mind, there is to be no chasing the sheep or hens, or throwing stones at the ducks, or it will be the last time you children get leave to come into my fields.'

'We won't do any mischief, sir,' said Peggy earnestly, as she tried to make the bundle she carried sit upright, and look something like a baby, instead of cuddling up like a shapeless lump on her shoulder.

'Very well, then, in you go.'

The farmer held the gate open till the five children and two babies had filed sedately through; then he dropped the bar into the socket, and tramped away down the dusty lane.

The sheep were away at the far side, and did not take the trouble to glance up at the intruders. The hens were clucking busily on a piece of bare ground beyond the barn. Down in the lowest corner of the field was a shallow pond, where a plump mother duck and half a dozen downy ducklings were sailing placidly about. They were new-comers comparatively, and the children greeted them with shouts of approval.

'Why can't babies swim about and do things, instead of always crying and going to sleep?' asked Tommy, eyeing his small twin brothers with great dissatisfaction, as they sat in a row on a fallen tree-trunk. 'I'd rather have young ducks any day; they've twice as much sense.'

'See that one eating up my bread and butter!' cried Jack; 'he's something like a duck. I wish Farmer Jones would give him to me.'

'I'm quite sure he wouldn't,' said Peggy sharply; 'ducks are dreadfully dear things: mother's said so lots of times.'

Jack didn't answer; he was leaning over the tree trunk, throwing tiny bits of crusts to the duckling, who was doing his best to choke himself with them. Soon after, the duckling came round in front of the trunk where they were sitting; and it was the funniest little object, with its stumpy wings, and a big yellow bill that opened and shut like a pair of scissors.

There were five more swimming about beside their mother; there might be dozens more in the farmyard, while they had nothing of their own. A sharp little duck like that would be as good as a dog to play with. Jack had watched it with longing eyes; he was certain the farmer would never miss it, if he were to take it home for a little while--only a little while; he could easily bring it back again, and it wouldn't be one bit the worse.

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