passed the butter; said “please,” and “thank you,” “yes, sir,” and
“no, ma’am,” with unusual elegance and respect. Nan said nothing,
but kept herself quiet and refrained from tickling Demi, though
strongly tempted to do so, because of the dignified airs he put on.
She also appeared to have forgotten her hatred of boys, and played
“I spy” with them till dark. Stuffy was observed to offer her
frequent sucks on his candy-ball during the game, which evidently
sweetened her temper, for the last thing she said on going to bed
was,
“When my battledore and shuttle-cock comes, I’ll let you all play
with ’em.”
Her first remark in the morning was “Has my box come?” and
when told that it would arrive sometime during the day, she fretted
and fumed, and whipped her doll, till Daisy was shocked. She
managed to exist, however, till five o’clock, when she disappeared,
and was not missed till supper-time, because those at home
thought she had gone to the hill with Tommy and Demi.
“I saw her going down the avenue alone as hard as she could pelt,”
said Mary Ann, coming in with the hasty-pudding, and finding
every one asking, “Where is Nan?”
“She has run home, little gypsy!” cried Mrs. Bhaer, looking
anxious.
“Perhaps she has gone to the station to look after her luggage,”
suggested Franz.
‘That is impossible, she does not know the way, and if she found it,
she could never carry the box a mile,” said Mrs. Bhaer, beginning
to think that her new idea might be rather a hard one to carry out.
“It would be like her,” and Mr. Bhaer caught up his hat to go and
find the child, when a shout from Jack, who was at the window,
made everyone hurry to the door.
There was Miss Nan, to be sure, tugging along a very large
band-box tied up in linen bag. Very hot and dusty and tired did she
look, but marched stoutly along, and came puffing up to the steps,
where she dropped her load with a sigh of relief, and sat down
upon it, observed as she crossed her tired arms,
“I couldn’t wait any longer, so I went and got it.”
“But you did not know the way,” said Tommy, while the rest stood
round enjoying the joke.
“Oh, I found it, I never get lost.”
“It’s a mile, how could you go so far?”
“Well, it was pretty far, but I rested a good deal.”
“Wasn’t that thing very heavy?”
“It’s so round, I couldn’t get hold of it good, and I thought my arms
would break right off.”
“I don’t see how the station-master let you have it,” said Tommy.
“I didn’t say anything to him. He was in the little ticket place, and
didn’t see me, so I just took it off the platform.”
“Run down and tell him it is all right, Franz, or old Dodd will think
it is stolen,” said Mr. Bhaer, joining in the shout of laughter at
Nan’s coolness.
“I told you we would send for it if it did not come. Another time
you must wait, for you will get into trouble if you run away.
Promise me this, or I shall not dare to trust you out of my sight,”
said Mrs. Bhaer, wiping the dust off Nan’s little hot face.
“Well, I won’t, only papa tells me not to put off doing things, so I
don’t.”
“That is rather a poser; I think you had better give her some supper
now, and a private lecture by and by,” said Mr. Bhaer, too much
amused to be angry at the young lady’s exploit.
The boys thought it “great fun,” and Nan entertained them all
supper-time with an account of her adventures; for a big dog had
barked at her, a man had laughed at her, a woman had given her a
doughnut, and her hat had fallen into the brook when she stopped
to drink, exhausted with her exertion.
‘I fancy you will have your hands full now, my dear; Tommy and
Nan are quite enough for one woman,” said Mr. Bhaer, half an
hour later.
“I know it will take some time to tame the child, but she is such a