Little Prudy's Dotty Dimple Read online

  Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Emmy and the OnlineDistributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net

  LITTLE PRUDY'SDOTTY DIMPLE

  _By_SOPHIE MAY

  NEW YORKHURST & COMPANYPUBLISHERS

  DEDICATION.

  TO

  Little Nelly Clarke.

  CONTENTS.

  CHAPTER PAGE I. DOTTY'S BABYHOOD 7 II. THE BONE MAN 31 III. DOTTY'S VERSES 36 IV. THE NESTLINGS 52 V. FANNY HARLOW'S PARTY 65 VI. THE LITTLE TEACHER 83 VII. BOTH SIDES OF A STORY 98VIII. THE WATER-KELPIE 117 IX. BROTHER ZIP 137 X. DR. PRUDY 154 XI. BUYING A BROTHER 173 XII. A WEDDING 189

  DOTTY DIMPLE.

  CHAPTER I.

  DOTTY'S BABYHOOD.

  Alice was the youngest of the Parlin family. When Grandma Read calledthe children into the kitchen, and told them about their new littlesister, Susy danced for joy; and Prudy, in her delight, opened thecellar door, and fell down the whole length of the stairs. However, sherolled as softly as a pincushion, and was not seriously hurt.

  "But you can't go into mother's room," said Susy, "you're crying sohard."

  "Poh!" replied three-years-old Prudy, twinkling off the tears; "yes, Ican neither. I won't go _crying_ in! I didn't hurt me velly bad. I'mweller now!"

  So she had the first peep at the wee dot of a baby in the nurse's arms.

  "O, dear, dear," said she, "what shall I do? I _are_ so glad! I wish Icould jump clear up to the _sky_ of this room! How do you do, littlesister?"

  The baby made no reply.

  "Why! don't you love me? This is _me_: my name's Prudy. I've got a redpocket dress;--Santa Claw bringed it."

  Still the little stranger paid no heed,--only winked her small, brighteyes, and at last closed them entirely.

  "O, my stars! she don't hear the leastest thing," sobbed Prudy, glad ofan excuse to cry again. "She can't hear the leastest mite of a thing!Where's the holes in her ears gone to? O, dear, dear!"

  It seemed to Susy that this was the happiest day of her life. She stoleup to her mother and kissed her. "O, mamma," said she, "wasn't God goodto send this little sister?--Why, I'm crying," added Susy, greatlysurprised: "what do you suppose makes me cry, when I'm happy allover--clear to the ends of my fingers?"

  "Yes, your eyes are sprinklin' down tears, but you're laughing all overyour face; and so 'm I," said little Prudy, delighted to see some oneelse as foolish as herself.

  "Susan, I hope thee'll receive this new sister as a gift from God," saidgrandma Read, wiping her spectacles.

  "It seems so funny," said Susy, gently stroking the baby's face; "sofunny for me to have a new sister."

  "Now you've tolled a story, Susy Parlin; she was sended to me,--isn't Ithe littlest?" cried bruised and battered Prudy, shaking with anothertempest of tears, and kissing the baby violently.

  "O, mamma! O, grandma," said Susy, clasping her hands in alarm, "don'tlet her kiss that soft baby so hard! She'll draw the blood rightthrough her cheeks."

  The nurse who was a smiling woman, with a wart on her nose, began tofrown a little, and grandma Read, patting Prudy's head, whispered to herthat if she did not stop crying she must leave the room, as the noiseshe made disturbed her mother.

  "Then I'll--I'll be--just as good as a lady, and I won't kiss her nomore," replied little Prudy between her sobs, at the same time pryingopen baby's mouth with her busy fingers.

  "Why, where's her teef? When you goin' to put in her teef?"

  "O," said Susy, in an ecstasy, "isn't she such a velvet darling? Whatcunning little footsie-tootsies! Shaped just like a flatiron! But Ihaven't seen her eyes yet."

  "There, look now," said Prudy, puffing in the baby's face; "her eyes hascame! I've _blowed_ 'em open."

  "O, fie, Miss Prudy," said the nurse, biting her lips; "now you'llcertainly have to leave the room. It's not safe for you to come nearthis tiny bit of a baby. Nobody ever knows what you are likely to donext."

  Little Prudy hung her head in great dismay.

  "Then, if she goes, I'll have to go too, or there'll be a fuss," sighedSusy, stroking the baby's hair, which was as soft as a mouse's fur.

  Both children cast a lingering look at the bewitching little figure, sodaintily wrapped in a fleecy blanket. Prudy felt tempted to snatch herup and give her a good hugging, but stood in mortal fear of the nurse.There was something awful about Mrs. Fling: Prudy presumed it was thewart on her nose.

  When the children were outside the door, and grandma had closed itgently, they seated themselves on the upper step of the staircase, andbegan to talk over this strange affair.

  "Don't you know what made me cry in there?" said Prudy. "The baby isn'tonly a _girl_, and that's why I cried."

  For the moment Prudy fancied she was telling the truth.

  Susy laughed. "Just to think of our keeping a boy in THIShouse, Prudy Parlin!"

  "O, no! _course_ not!" returned her little sister, quickly; "_we_wouldn't keep a boy."

  "You see," argued Susy, "it's boys that fires all the popguns, andwhistle in your ears, and frighten you. Why, if this was a brother, wecouldn't but just live! What made you cry for a brother, Prudy?"

  "Poh, I didn't! I wouldn't have him for nothin' in my world! I'm gladGod sended a girl, and that's what made me _laugh_."

  "It seems so queer to think of it Prudy, I don't know what to do withmyself, I declare."

  "Well, I know what _I'm_ goin' to do. I'll give her my redpocket-dress. She's come clear down from God's house, and this is adrefful cold world."

  Susy knew that little Prudy's heart must be overflowing with sisterlylove to the baby, or she would not be willing to give her thepocket-dress.

  "She can tuck her candy in it," pursued Prudy; "'tisn't a believe-make,you know; there's a hole clear through. She can tuck her candy in, andher pyunes and pfigs, and teenty apples. Oho!"

  "'Twill be as mother says about giving her your dress, Prudy; but weshall be glad to see you kind to the new sister," said Susy, who wasfond of giving small lectures to Prudy. "We ought to be kind to her,for God sent her down on purpose. Of course it will be ME thatwill take the most care of her; but maybe they'll let you watch hersometimes when she's asleep. Don't blow open her eyes any more, Prudy;that's very naughty. If we do just as we ought to, and are kind to her,she'll be a comfort, and grow up a lady!"

  "O, will she?" asked Prudy, a little sadly. "I thought when she growedup she'd be a gemplum, like papa."

  "What an idea! But that's just as much sense as you little bits o'children have! When you don't know about anything, Prudy, you may comeand ask _me_; I'm most six."

  The new baby was very wonderful indeed. The first thing she did was tocry; the next was to sneeze. Prudy wished "all the people down street,and all the ladies that lived in the whole o' the houses, could see thenew sister." Her heart swelled with pride when admiring ladies took theunconscious little creature in their arms, saying, "Really, it is aremarkably pretty child. What starry eyes! What graceful little fingers!Isn't her mouth shaped like Prudy's?"

  Mrs. Parlin did not approve of cradles, and the nurse had a fashion ofrolling the baby in a blanket and laying her down in all sorts ofplaces. One day little Prudy flung herself into the big rocking chair,not noticing the small bundle which lay there, under a silkhandkerchief.

  It was feared at first that the baby was crushed to death; but when shewas heard to cry, Mrs. Parlin said, "We have great cause forthankfulness. So far as I can judge, it is only her _nose_ that isbroken!"

  But the doctor pronounced the baby's bones as sound as ever.

  "It is only little Miss Prudy wh
ose nose is out of joint," added he.

  Prudy ran to look in the glass, but could not see anything the matterwith her nose, or anything that looked like "a joint." But after thisshe was as careful as a child of her heedless age can be, not to injureher tender sister. She never again saw a silk handkerchief withoutshaking it to make sure there was not a baby under it.

  It was a long while before the friends could decide upon a name for thisbeautiful stranger.

  "For my part I have no choice," said Mr. Parlin, "and only one remark tomake; call the child by her right name, whatever it may be, for I amvery much opposed to pet names, of all sorts."

  After every one else had spoken, Mrs. Parlin suggested that she wouldlike to call the baby Alice Barrow, in honor of a dear friend, now inheaven.

  She grew to be a fair, fat baby; and while her teeth were prickingthrough, like little pointed pearls, Susy's front teeth were droppingout. Then she grew to be a toddling child; and while she was learning towalk, Prudy was beginning to sew patchwork. For time does not standstill; it passed, minute by minute, over the heads of Susy, Prudy, andAlice, as well as all the rest of the world. And soon it brought an endto Alice's babyhood.