Dandelion Cottage , livre ebook

DANDELION COTTAGE
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CARROLL WATSON RANKIN
 
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Dandelion Cottage First published in 1904 ISBN 978-1-77545-455-7 © 2011 The Floating Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike. Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Contents
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Chapter 1 - Mr. Black's Terms Chapter 2 - Paying the Rent Chapter 3 - The Tenants Take Possession Chapter 4 - Furnishing the Cottage Chapter 5 - Poverty in the Cottage Chapter 6 - A Lodger to the Rescue Chapter 7 - The Girls Disclose a Plan Chapter 8 - An Unexpected Crop of Dandelions Chapter 9 - Changes and Plans Chapter 10 - The Milligans Chapter 11 - An Embarrassing Visitor Chapter 12 - A Lively Afternoon Chapter 13 - The Junior Warden Chapter 14 - An Unexpected Letter Chapter 15 - An Obdurate Landlord Chapter 16 - Mabel Plans a Surprise Chapter 17 - Several Surprises Take Effect Chapter 18 - A Hurried Retreat Chapter 19 - The Response to Mabel's Telegram Chapter 20 - The Odd Behavior of the Grown-Ups Chapter 21 - The Dinner
Chapter 1 - Mr. Black's Terms
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The little square cottage was unoccupied. It had stood for many years onthe parish property, having indeed been built long before the parishbought the land for church purposes. It was easy to see how DandelionCottage came by its name at first, for growing all about it were great,fluffy, golden dandelions; but afterwards there was another good reasonwhy the name was appropriate, as you will discover shortly.
The cottage stood almost directly behind the big stone church inLakeville, a thriving Northern Michigan town, and did not show veryplainly from the street because it was so small by contrast witheverything else near it. This was fortunate, because, after the Tuckershad moved into the big new rectory, the smaller house looked decidedlyforlorn and deserted.
"We'll leave it just where it stands," the church wardens had said, manyyears previously. "It's precisely the right size for Doctor and Mrs.Gunn, for they would rather have a small house than a large one. Whenthey leave us and we are selecting another clergyman, we'll try to getone with a small family."
This plan worked beautifully for a number of years. It succeeded sowell, in fact, that the vestry finally forgot to be cautious, and whenat last it secured the services of Dr. Tucker, the church had grown soused to clergymen with small families that the vestrymen engaged the newminister without remembering to ask if his family would fit DandelionCottage.
But when Dr. Tucker and Mrs. Tucker and eight little Tuckers, some onfoot and some in baby carriages, arrived, the vestrymen regretted thisoversight. They could see at a glance that the tiny cottage could neverhold them all.
"We'll just have to build a rectory on the other lot," said Mr. Black,the senior warden. "That's all there is about it. The cottage is all outof repair, anyway. It wasn't well built in the first place, and the lastthree clergymen have complained bitterly of the inconvenience of havingto hold up umbrellas in the different rooms every time it rained. Theirwives objected to the wall paper and to being obliged to keep thepotatoes in the bedroom closet. It's really time we had a new rectory."
"It certainly is," returned the junior warden, "and we'll all have totake turns entertaining all the little Tuckers that there isn't room forin the cottage while the new house is getting built."
Seven of the eight little Tuckers were boys. If it hadn't been forBettie they would all have been boys, but Bettie saved the day. Shewas a slender twelve-year-old little Bettie, with big brown eyes, a mopof short brown curls, and such odd clothes. Busy Mrs. Tucker was so inthe habit of making boys' garments that she could not help giving aboyish cut even to Bettie's dresses. There were always sailor collars tothe waists, and the skirts were invariably kilted. Besides this, thelittle girl wore boys' shoes.
"You see," explained Bettie, who was a cheerful little body, "Tommy hasto take them next, and of course it wouldn't pay to buy shoes for justone girl."
The little Tuckers were not the only children in the neighborhood.Bettie found a bosom friend in Dr. Bennett's Mabel, who lived next doorto the rectory, another in Jeanie Mapes, who lived across the street,and still another in Marjory Vale, whose home was next door to DandelionCottage.
Jean, as her little friends best liked to call her, was a sweet-faced,gentle-voiced girl of fourteen. Mothers of other small girls were alwaysglad to see their own more scatterbrained daughters tucked under Jean'sloving wing, for thoroughly-nice Jean, without being in the leastpriggish, was considered a safe and desirable companion. It doesn't always follow that children like the persons it is considered best forthem to like, but in Jean's case both parents and daughters agreed thatJean was not only safe but delightful—the charming daughter of acharming mother.
Marjory, a year younger and nearly a head shorter than Jean, oftenseemed older. Outwardly, she was a sedate small person, slight,blue-eyed, graceful, and very fair. Her manners at times were verypleasing, her self-possession almost remarkable; this was the result ofcareful training by a conscientious, but at that time sadlyunappreciated, maiden aunt who was Marjory's sole guardian. There weremoments, however, when Marjory, who was less sedate than she appeared,forgot to be polite. At such times, her ways were apt to be lesspleasing than those of either Bettie or Jean, because her wit wasnimbler, her tongue sharper, and her heart a trifle less tender. Hermother had died when Marjory was only a few weeks old, her father hadlived only two years longer, and the rather solitary little girl hadmissed much of the warm family affection that had fallen to the lot ofher three more fortunate friends. Those who knew her well found much inher to like, but among her schoolmates there were girls who said thatMarjory was "stuck-up," affected, and "too smart."
Mabel, the fourth in this little quartet of friends, was eleven, largefor her age and young for her years, always an unfortunate combinationof circumstances. She was intensely human and therefore liable to err,and, it may be said, she very seldom missed an opportunity. In schoolshe read with a tremendous amount of expression but mispronounced halfthe words; when questions were asked, she waved her hand triumphantlyaloft and gave anything but the right answer; she had a surprising stockof energy, but most of it was misdirected. Warm-hearted, generous,heedless, hot-tempered, and always blundering, she was something of atrial at home and abroad; yet no one could help loving her, foreverybody realized that she would grow up some day into a really finewoman, and that all that was needed in the meantime was considerablepatience. Rearing Mabel was not unlike the task of bringing up a St.Bernard puppy. Mrs. Bennett was decidedly glad to note the growingfriendship among the four girls, for she hoped that Mabel would in timegrow dignified and sweet like Jean, thoughtful and tender like Bettie,graceful and prettily mannered like Marjory. But this happy result hadyet to be achieved.
The little one-story cottage, too much out of repair to be rented, stoodempty and neglected. To most persons it was an unattractive spot if notactually an eyesore. The steps sagged in a dispirited way, some of thewindows were broken, and the fence, in sympathy perhaps with the house,had shed its pickets and leaned inward with a discouraged, hopeless air.
But Bettie looked at the little cottage longingly—she could gaze rightdown upon it from the back bedroom window—a great many times a day. Itdidn't seem a bit too big for a playhouse. Indeed, it seemed a greatpity that such a delightful little building should go unoccupied whenBettie and her homeless dolls were simply suffering for just such ashelter.
"Wouldn't it be nice," said Bettie, one day in the early spring, "if wefour girls could have Dandelion Cottage for our very own?"
"Wouldn't it be sweet," mimicked Marjory, "if we could have the moon andabout twenty stars to play jacks with?"
"The cottage isn't quite so far away," said Jean. "It would be justlovely to have it, for we never have a place to play in comfortably."
"We're generally disturbing grown-ups, I notice," said Marjory,comically imitating her Aunty Jane's severest manner. "A little lessnoise, if you please. Is it really necessary to laugh so much and sooften?"
"Even Mother gets tired of us sometimes," confided Jean. "There are dayswhen no one seems to want all of us at once."
"I know it," said Bettie, pathetically, "but it's worse for me than itis for the rest of you. You have your rooms and nobody to meddle withyour things. I no sooner get my dolls nicely settled in one corner thanI have to move them into another, because the babies poke their eyesout. It's dreadful, too, to have to live with so many boys. I fixed upthe cunningest playhouse under the clothes-reel last week, but the veryminute it was finished Rob came home with a horrid porcupine and I hadto move out in a hurry."
"Perhaps," suggested Marjory, "we could rent the cottage."
"Who'd pay the rent?" demanded Mabel. "My allowance is five cents a weekand I have to pay a fine of one cent every time I'm late to meals."
"How much do you have left?" asked Jeanie, laughing.
"Not a cent. I was seven cents in debt at the end of last week."
"I get two cents a hundred for digging dandelions," said Marjory, "butit takes just forever to dig them, and ugh!