Prudy Keeping House

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, By LEE AND SHEPARD, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. TO MY YOUNG FRIEND, BESSIE BAKER. CONTENTS. PAGE I A Queer Idea 9 II Pride and Oranges 26 III Borrowed Jewels 37 IV Going to Housekeeping 54 V Mother Hubbard's Dinner 73 VI Prudy in a New Light 88 VII A Fly in Trinity Church 105 VIII Dotty's Windpipe 121 IX Two Live Children 138 X "Riding on Jack Frost" 150 XI The Jewel Cabinet 167 XII "Folded Eyes" 182 PRUDY KEEPING HOUSE. A QUEER IDEA. One of Mrs. Allen's bay windows stood open. Between the ivies, tuberoses, and lilies, you caught a glimpse of gilded walls and rare paintings. Better than all, you saw four young faces looking out at a snow-storm; Dotty with eyes like living diamonds, Prudy fair and sweet, Horace lordly and wise; and the little one "with dove's eyes" following every motion of his head, as if she were a sunflower, and he the sun. "Please shut the window, quick, Horace; the plants will freeze," said Prudy, drawing in her powdered head. "Things don't freeze in cloudy weather, Prue; but you children will catch cold; so here goes." "O, Hollis, don't those snow-specks look like little bits o' birdies, athout any wings or any feathers, too?" "Droll birds they would be," said Aunt Madge. "That reminds me of an old riddle, children,— "'White bird featherless Flew out of Paradise, Lit on the castle wall; Came a knight breathless, Ate it up toothless, Rode away horseless.'" "Why, auntie, the 'bird featherless' must have been the snow; but who was the knight!" "Who rides over the sky without any horse, Dotty, and melts snow by shining on it?" "O, the sun—the sun!" "Hollis, I want to ask you sumpin. Does those snow-specks fly down out o' heaven? Does the little angels see 'em?" "No, Topknot; they only come from the clouds; they are nowhere near up to the little angels." "Not half so near as you are, Goldilocks," said Aunt Madge, brushing back the child's soft hair. "I hope you don't mean Fly's going to die," cried Dotty, in sudden alarm, remembering how crossly she had spoken to the child two or three times since they had been in New York. "No, Dotty; I only mean that we are told, in the Bible,…