FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58  
59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   >>   >|  
l. I shall ask a good deal of her time and attention; but I shall not live forever, and when I am gone, she will be independent, and able to make her own life." The three girls were breathless with attention, and Aunt Betty went on. "I want the one I shall choose to ponder these conditions well; there will be a few years--probably--of partial seclusion from society, and of devotion to her old auntie, and then freedom, with the consciousness of having made happy the declining years of one who buried the last of her own children many years ago." She paused--but not a word was spoken--and in a moment she went on. "I did not know how to choose between you, for you are all so sweet to me, so I made a plan to find out--with Sam's help--a little about your characteristics. The virtue I prize almost above all others, is--truthfulness, honest, outspoken truth. The bad fish, the salted cream, and the odious spread were tests, and only one of you stood the test and spoke the honest truth. I am glad that _one_ did, for otherwise I should not have found, in my own family, one I could adopt and depend upon." She paused; not a word was said. "Ruth," she began again, turning to that confused, and blushing, and utterly amazed girl, "Ruth, will you come to live with me, take the place of a daughter, and occupy that room?" "You ask _me_?" cried Ruth, "clumsy and awkward as I am! I never dreamed you could want me!" "I know you did not," said Aunt Betty; "but your habit of truthfulness is far more valuable to me than the deftest fingers or the most finished manners. Will you come?" "Oh, yes, indeed!" cried Ruth, falling on her knees and burying her face in Aunt Betty's lap, while happy tears fell from her eyes, and Aunt Betty gently stroked her hair. "Well, well," said Jenny, with a sigh, as the two girls walked slowly home, "I always knew Aunt Betty was the crankiest woman in the world, and if Ruth wasn't so perfectly sincere I should almost think that she"-- She paused, and Grace broke in. "Yes; I'm perfectly sure Ruth is not capable of putting on; besides, we always knew she couldn't deceive to save her life." * * * * * "Hush," said mamma, as Kristy was about to speak. "Here comes Mrs. Wilson." Mrs. Wilson, the next door neighbor, walked in, explaining that she had come in the rain because she was all alone in her house and was lonely, and seeing Mrs. Crawford sewing by t
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58  
59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

paused

 

attention

 
perfectly
 
truthfulness
 
choose
 

honest

 

Wilson

 

walked

 

gently

 

burying


stroked

 

valuable

 

dreamed

 

clumsy

 

awkward

 
deftest
 

sewing

 
Crawford
 

falling

 
manners

fingers

 

finished

 
deceive
 

couldn

 

capable

 

putting

 

Kristy

 

explaining

 

neighbor

 

crankiest


slowly

 
lonely
 

sincere

 

declining

 

buried

 

consciousness

 

freedom

 

auntie

 

children

 

moment


spoken

 

devotion

 

society

 

independent

 

forever

 

partial

 
seclusion
 
conditions
 
breathless
 

ponder