"

"Just so," says I, feeling a little shivery.

"Would you like to go, darling?" says he speaking to his little girl, as
if half afraid.

"Me, papa, down to that horrid place all meat and butter, and fish and
things? The idea!"

I was so grateful to the stuck-up thing, that I'm afraid Cousin E. E.
saw it in my eyes, for she sort of clouded over and said:

"That, after all, she didn't think she cared to go, but that needn't
keep Cousin Phoemie at home. Mr. Dempster would take her."

"Well, just as you please," says he, a-taking his hat, "I'm at your
service--singly or in groups. Good-morning."

Well, in the afternoon, I asked Cousin E. E., in a kind of natural way,
if she meant to go to that feed. But that child called out:

"No, no, mamma, don't go; I won't be left alone."

So Cousin E. E. said she had a bad headache, and thought she wouldn't
go, but that needn't keep me.

Now, sisters, I wasn't brought up in the woods to be scared by owls, as
we say in our parts--and if that little upstart thought she would keep
me at home by domineering over her mother, she soon found out her
mistake, for in less than two minutes a young lady, of about my size,
came downstairs, with her beehive bonnet on, a satchel in one hand and
an umbrella in the other.

"You will find the way easy enough," says Cousin E. E. "The cars take
you close to the office, and you will get splendid oysters at the
market."

Oysters! the very word made my mouth water, for if there is a thing on
earth that I deliciously adore, it is oysters--such as you get here in
York.

"Oysters!" says I, "why didn't you tell me that before?"

"We did," says she; "of course we did!"

I was too polite to contradict her; but I'll take my Bible oath that not
one word about shell-fish of any kind had been mentioned that
morning--nothing but a great city lion, Rockaways, bivalves, and animals
like them. Still I said nothing, but went out encouraged by the idea
that I was to have something to eat as well as the lion.

It was afternoon, and the street-car wasn't overfull, so I took a seat
in one corner and began to think over a piece of poetry that I have got
into my mind, which shortened the way to Dempster's office wonderfully.
In less than no time I seemed to get there, but he had just stepped out.
One of the clerks said that he thought he had gone to the market for
lunch.

Oh, mercy! I felt as if my oysters were all out to sea again. I was too
late.

"