Dorothy on a House Boat

Evelyn Raymond

Description

pubOne.info present you this wonderfully illustrated edition. These stories of an American girl by an American author have made "Dorothy" a household synonym for all that is fascinating. Truth and realism are stamped on every page. The interest never flags, and is ofttimes intense. No more happy choice can be made for gift books, so sure are they to win approval and please not only the young in years, but also "grown-ups" who are young in heart and spirit.

Informations

• Publié par: Pub One Info
• Date de parution: 27 septembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9782819925460
• Langue: English

Extrait

DOROTHY
ON A HOUSE-BOAT
By
EVELYN RAYMOND
◆◆◆◆
ILLUSTRATED
◆◆◆◆
New York
THE PLATTE & PECK CO.
THE
DOROTHY BOOKS
By EVELYN RAYMOND
These stories of an American girl by an Americanauthor have made “Dorothy” a household synonym for all that isfascinating. Truth and realism are stamped on every page. Theinterest never flags, and is ofttimes intense. No more happy choicecan be made for gift books, so sure are they to win approval andplease not only the young in years, but also “grown-ups” who areyoung in heart and spirit.
Dorothy
Dorothy at Skyrie
Dorothy’s Schooling
Dorothy’s Travels
Dorothy’s House Party
Dorothy in California
Dorothy on a Ranch
Dorothy’s House-Boat
Dorothy at Oak Knowe
Dorothy’s Triumph
Dorothy’s Tour
Illustrated, 12mo, Cloth
Price per Volume, 50 Cents
Copyright, 1909, by
The Platt & Peck Co.


“EPHRAIM, DID YOU EVER LIVE IN A HOUSE-BOAT?”—P15 Dorothy’s House-Boat
FOREWORD.
Those who have followed the story of DorothyCalvert’s life thus far will remember that it has been full ofinterest and many adventures— pleasant and otherwise. Beginning asa foundling left upon the steps of a little house in Brown street,Baltimore, she was adopted by its childless owners, aletter-carrier and his wife. When his health failed she removedwith them to the Highlands of the Hudson. There followed her“Schooling” at a fashionable academy; her vacation “Travels” inbeautiful Nova Scotia; her “House Party” at the home of her newlydiscovered great aunt, Mrs. Betty Calvert; their winter together“In California”; a wonderful summer “On a Ranch” in Colorado; andnow the early autumn has found the old lady and the girl once morein the ancestral home of the Calverts. Enjoying their morning’smail in the pleasant library of old Bellvieu, they are bothastonished by the contents of one letter which offers for Dorothy’sacceptance the magnificent gift of a “House-Boat. ” What followsthe receipt of this letter is now to be told.
CHAPTER I
A BIG GIFT FOR A SMALL MAID.
“Well, of all things! ” exclaimed Mrs. BettyCalvert, shaking her white head and tossing her hands in a gestureof amazement. Then, as the letter she had held fell to the floor,her dark eyes twinkled with amusement and she smilingly demanded:“Dorothy, do you want an elephant? ”
The girl had been reading her own letters, just comein the morning’s mail, but she paused to stare at her great-auntand to ask in turn:
“Aunt Betty, what do you mean? ”
“Because if you do here’s the chance of your life toget one! ” answered the old lady, motioning toward the fallenletter.
Dolly understood that she was to pick it up and readit, and, having done so, remarked:
“Auntie dear, this doesn’t say anything about anelephant, as I can see. ”
“Amounts to the same thing. The idea of a house-boatas a gift to a girl like you! My cousin Seth Winters must begetting into his dotage! Of course, girlie, I don’t mean thatfully, but isn’t it a queer notion? What in the world can you,could you, do with a house-boat? ”

“Live in it, sail in it, have the jolliest time init! Why not, Auntie, darling? ”
Dorothy’s face was shining with eagerness and sheran to clasp Mrs. Calvert with coaxing arms. “Why not, indeed, AuntBetty? You’ve been shut up in this hot city all summer long; youhaven’t had a bit of an outing, anywhere; it would do you lots ofgood to go sailing about on the river or bay; and— and— do say‘yes, ’ please, to dear Mr. Seth’s offer! Oh! do! ”
The old lady kissed the uplifted face, merrilyexclaiming:
“Don’t pretend it’s for my benefit, little wheedler!The idea of such a thing is preposterous— simply preposterous! Runaway and write the silly man that we’ve no use for house-boats, butif he does happen to have an elephant on hand, a white elephant, wemight consider accepting it as a gift! We could have it kept at thepark Zoo, maybe, and some city youngsters might like that. ”
Dorothy’s face clouded. She had become accustomed toreceiving rich gifts, during her Summer on a Ranch, as the guest ofthe wealthy Fords, and now to have a house-boat offered her wasonly one more of the wonderful things life brought to her.
Going back to her seat beside the open window shepushed her own letters aside, for the moment, to re-read that ofher old teacher and guardian, during her life on the mountain bythe Hudson. She had always believed Mr. Winters to be the wisest ofmen, justly entitled to his nickname of the “Learned Blacksmith. ”He wasn’t one to do anything without a good reason and, of course,Aunt Betty’s remarks about him had been only in jest. That both ofthem understood; and Dorothy now searched for the reason of thissurprising gift. This was the letter:
“Dear Cousin Betty:
“Mr. Blank has failed in business, just as youwarned me he would, and all I can recover of the money I loaned himis what is tied up in a house-boat, one of his many extravagances—though, in this case, not a great one.
“Of course, I have no use for such a floatingstructure on top of a mountain and I want to give it to our littleDorothy. As she has now become a shareholder in a mine with a smallincome of her own, she can afford to accept the boat and I know shewill enjoy it. I have forwarded the deed of gift to my lawyers inyour town and trust your own tangled business affairs are comingout right in the end. All well at Deerhurst. Jim Barlow came downto say that Dr. Sterling is going abroad for a few months and thatthe manse will be closed. I wish the boy were ready for college,but he isn’t. Also, that he wasn’t too proud to accept any helpfrom Mr. Ford— but he is. He says the discovery of that mine onthat gentleman’s property was an ‘accident’ on his own part, and he‘won’t yet awhile. ’ He wants ‘to earn his own way through theworld’ and, from present appearances, I think he’ll have a chanceto try. He’s on the lookout now for another job. ”
There followed a few more sentences about affairs inthe highland village where the writer lived, but not a doubt wasexpressed as to the fitness of his extraordinary gift to a littlegirl, nor of its acceptance by her. Indeed, it was a puzzled,disappointed face which was now raised from the letter and anappealing glance that was cast upon the old lady in the chair bythe desk.
Meanwhile Aunt Betty had been doing some thinking ofher own. She loved novelty with all the zest of a girl and she wasfond of the water. Mr. Winters’s offer began to seem less absurd.Finally, she remarked:
“Well, dear, you may leave the writing of that notefor a time. I’m obliged to go down town on business, this morning,and after my errands are done we will drive to that out-of-the-wayplace where this house-boat is moored and take a look at it. Areall those letters from your summer-friends? For a small person youhave established a big correspondence, but, of course, it won’tlast long. Now run and tell Ephraim to get up the carriage. I’ll beready in twenty minutes. ”
Dorothy hastily piled her notes on the widewindow-ledge and skipped from the room, clapping her hands andsinging as she went. To her mind Mrs. Calvert’s consent to visitthe house-boat was almost proof that it would be accepted. If itwere— Ah! glorious!
“Ephraim, did you ever live in a house-boat? ” shedemanded, bursting in upon the old colored coachman, engaged in hisdaily task of “shinin’ up de harness. ”
He glanced at her over his “specs, ” then as hastilyremoved them and stuffed them into his pocket. It was his boastthat he could see as “well as evah” and needed no such aids to hissight. He hated to grow old and those whom he served so faithfullyrarely referred to the fact.
So Dorothy ignored the “specs, ” though she couldn’thelp smiling to see one end of their steel frame sticking out fromthe pocket, while she repeated to his astonished ears herquestion.
“Evah lib in a house-boat? Evah kiss a cat’s lef’hind foot? Nebah heered o’ no such contraption. Wheah’s it at— datt’ing? ”
“Away down at some one of the wharves and we’regoing to see it right away. Oh! I forget. Aunt Betty wants thecarriage at the door in twenty minutes. In fifteen, now, I guessbecause ‘time flies’ fairly away from me. But, Ephy, dear, try toput your mind to the fact that likely, I guess, maybe, you and Iand everybody will go and live on the loveliest boat, night andday, and every day go sailing— sailing— sailing— on pretty rivers,between green banks and heaps of flowers, and— — ”

Ephraim rose from his stool and waved her away.
“Gwan erlong wid yo’ foolishness honey gell! Yo’dreamin’, an’ my Miss Betty ain’ gwine done erlow no suchnotionses. My Miss Betty done got sense, she hab, bress her! Sheain’ gwine hab not’in’ so scan’lous in yo’ raisin’ as dat yeah boattalk. Gwan an’ hunt yo’ bunnit, if you-all ’spects to ride in ouahbawoosh. ”
Dorothy always exploded in a gale of laughter tohear Ephraim’s efforts to pronounce “barouche, ” as he liked tocall the old carriage; and she now swept a mocking curtsey to hispompous dismissal, as she hurried away to put on her “bunnit” andcoat. To Ephraim, any sort of feminine headgear was simply a“bunnit” and every wrap was a “shawl. ”
Soon the fat horses drew the glistening carriagethrough the gateway of Bellvieu, the fine old residence of theCalverts, and down through the narrow, crowded streets of thebusiness part of old Baltimore. To loyal Mrs. Betty, who had passedthe greater part of her long life in the southern city, it was verydear and even beautiful; but to Dorothy’s young eyes it seemed, onthat early autumn day, very “smelly” and almost squalid. Her mindstill dwelt upon visions of sunny rivers and green fields, and shewas too anxious for her aunt’s acceptance of Mr. Winters’s gift tokeep still.
Fidgetting from side to side of the carriage seat,where she had been left to wait, the impatient girl felt that AuntBetty’s errands were endless. Even the fat horses, used to standingquietly on the street, grew restless during a long delay at the lawoffices of K