FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   >>  
e, to keep them up to it; for as soon as he had been away from any one of them a few hours that one would begin to collapse again, and think he or she was as weak as ever; but Joe wouldn't allow this; all day long he was here and there among them applying the spur, bullying them into getting up and dancing, and roaring with indignation at the idea of their being old. He made them practise their steps, and while those who possessed crutches were doing it, he sneaked off with the crutches and concealed them. He wouldn't even allow them sticks, wouldn't old Joe--not he. Old Worble's aunt Susan got quite young and skittish; and as for old Worble's aunt Susan's mother, who was bedridden, up she had to get on old Joe Wilkings's third visit, and had to toddle across the room. He drilled her--kept on at it; he was there twice a day; and every time she had to get out of bed and toddle across the room. Had to live in her dressing-gown, and could get no peace for the life of her; but, bless you, in ten days she had begun to believe that she had never been bedridden at all, and that it was all fancy! And all in consequence of that strange influence of old Joe Wilkings; that awful determination of his. Then there were the provisions to prepare for that picnic; and old Joe would insist upon the old folks preparing them. He wouldn't have any young people in it--not he. He was here, there, and everywhere, compelling them to superintend the cooking of the joints and pies--for he was not going to have any beef-tea or arrow-root or pap at the picnic, but all good solid food for robust people. Well, the eventful day came; and there were the old folks collected at the railway station with their hampers and bags. The whole population of younger folks had turned out to see them off; but not a single one of them was to go, for old Joe wouldn't have anyone under the age of sixty-five, as he said children were always a trouble at an outing. And, what's more, his word seemed to be law, and that was the long and the short of it. The young people shook their heads forebodingly, and said they didn't know what on earth would come of it all, that they didn't; and they only hoped uncle and aunt and grandfather would come back all right! But the train came in, and in hopped the old parties, and away they went. Old Joe Wilkings had his work cut out now, with a vengeance and all: for as soon as they had got away from the younger folks who usu
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   >>  



Top keywords:
wouldn
 

Wilkings

 

people

 
picnic
 

Worble

 

younger

 

bedridden

 

toddle

 

crutches

 

collected


eventful

 
station
 

population

 
parties
 
robust
 

hampers

 

railway

 

joints

 

cooking

 

vengeance


superintend

 

turned

 

hopped

 

forebodingly

 

trouble

 
outing
 

compelling

 

single

 

children

 

grandfather


practise

 

roaring

 
indignation
 

possessed

 

sticks

 

skittish

 

concealed

 

sneaked

 

dancing

 

collapse


bullying
 
applying
 

mother

 

consequence

 

strange

 
influence
 

insist

 
preparing
 
prepare
 

provisions