FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110  
111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   >>   >|  
as very repugnant to him and he was at a loss to know what to do. Aunt Maria's fright had given her unusual courage and she had told him some unpleasant truths, things she would never have dared say under ordinary circumstances; but after his surprise at her daring had died down he faced her accusations, fought them out one by one, recognized the truth of them and capitulated. Tabitha could go away to boarding school. Words are inadequate to express Tabitha's joy when told this delightful news; she was literally entranced with the prospect. The night that Aunt Maria had departed for her eastern home, Tabitha sat disconsolately on the back steps, alternately patting General Grant's head resting on her knee, and trying to study her grammar lesson, but the nouns and verbs would become hopelessly mixed, and the adjectives and adverbs fought scandalously with each other. Mr. Catt, tilted back in his chair beside the window, tried to read the city paper, but found his glance wandering constantly to the lonely figure on the steps. "I am a beast," he said to himself, as the brown hand swept a tear off the page she was supposed to be studying. "This is no place for a child like that. She has the making of a fine woman in her, and I haven't done right by her. She _is_ bright, and Maria is right. Tabitha!" She started violently. "Yes, sir." "Come here." Closing her book but keeping it clasped in her hands she went inside the house and stood waiting to know his pleasure, surprise--almost apprehension at this unexpected summons--showing plainly in her face. "You were reciting some gabble on the steps a little bit ago. Say it again." "Gabble?" said the puzzled girl questioningly. "Yes, something about Ghent." "Oh, that wasn't gabble! That is a masterpiece, teacher says. Why, Robert Browning wrote that!" "Um-hm. I'm not interested in Robert Browning. All I want is that piece. Speak it." Astonished and not comprehending this demand in the least, Tabitha began falteringly, somewhat indifferently: "I sprang to the stirrup, and Joris, and he; I galloped, Dirck galloped, we galloped all three;" But as the familiar words slipped from her tongue, the spirit of the piece came over her. Her voice grew tense with feeling and the hands that never could stay still lent their aid to the difficult art of expression. "So, we were left galloping, Joris and I, Past Looz and past Tongres, no cloud in t
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110  
111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Tabitha

 

galloped

 

Browning

 
fought
 
gabble
 

Robert

 
surprise
 

puzzled

 

violently

 

started


pleasure
 

Gabble

 

inside

 

masterpiece

 

questioningly

 
bright
 

showing

 

plainly

 

Closing

 
summons

unexpected

 
apprehension
 

keeping

 

clasped

 

waiting

 

reciting

 

feeling

 
tongue
 

spirit

 

Tongres


galloping

 

difficult

 

expression

 

slipped

 

Astonished

 

comprehending

 

interested

 

demand

 

familiar

 

stirrup


sprang

 

falteringly

 

indifferently

 

teacher

 

express

 

inadequate

 
delightful
 

capitulated

 

boarding

 

school