Hill Grace Brooks - The Corner House Girls Snowbound стр 3.

Tess called the old dog down while Sammy and Neale ONeil scrambled up from the hall floor. Two older girls appeared, running from the front of the house a blonde beauty with fluffy, braided hair, and a more sedate brunette who was older than her sister by two years or more.

What is the matter? demanded the blonde girl. If this Corner House isnt the noisiest place in Milton Ruth, see that goat!

Well, Sammy! exclaimed Ruth Kenway, severely, why didnt you bring Scalawag, the pony, into the house as well? That goat!

I was goin to, confessed the rather abashed Sammy. But I didnt have time.

Dont you ever do such a thing again, Sammy Pinkney! ordered Ruth, severely.

She had to be severe. Otherwise the younger ones would have completely overrun the old Corner House and made it unlivable for more sedate and quiet folk.

The responsibility for the welfare of her three sisters and that of Aunt Sarah Maltby, who lived with them, had early fallen on Ruth Kenways shoulders. In a much larger city than Milton the Kenways had lived in a very poor tenement and had had a hard struggle to get along on a small pension, their mother and father both being dead, until Mr. Howbridge, administrator of Uncle Peter Stowers estate, had looked the sisters up.

At that time there was some uncertainty as to whom the old Corner House, standing opposite the Parade Ground in Milton, and the rest of the Stower property belonged; for Uncle Peter Stower had died, and his will could not be found. That there was a will, Mr. Howbridge knew, for he had drawn it for the miserly old man who had lived alone with his colored servant, Uncle Rufus, in the old Corner House for so long.

The surrogate, however, finally allowed the guardian of the Kenway sisters to place them in the roomy old house, with their aunt and with Mrs. MacCall as housekeeper, while the court tangle was straightened out. This last was satisfactorily arranged, as related in the first book of this series, entitled The Corner House Girls.

In successive volumes are related in detail the adventures

of the four sisters and their friends since their establishment in the old Corner House, telling of their adventures at school, in a summer camp at the seashore, of their taking part in a school play, of the odd find made in the old Corner House garret, and on an automobile tour through the State.

In that sixth volume of the series the Kenways met Luke and Cecile Shepard, brother and sister, who prove to be delightful friends, especially to Ruth. Agnes, the second Kenway, already had a faithful chum and companion in Neale ONeil. But in Luke, Ruth found a most charming acquaintance, and in the seventh book, The Corner House Girls Growing Up, the friendship of Ruth and Luke is cemented by a series of incidents that try both of their characters.

Of course, each month saw the four sisters that many days older. They were actually growing up growing out of aye ken! Mrs. MacCall often said. Just the same, they still liked fun and frolic and, especially the younger ones, were just as likely to play pranks as ever.

Even Ruth could scarcely keep a sober face when she looked now from Sammy Pinkneys rueful countenance to the goat shaking his head at the top of the garret stairs.

Now, she said as severely as possible, I would like to know how you intend to get him down again.

More than that, Sam, said Neale: How did you ever get him up there?

Oh, that was easy! declared the small boy, his confident grin returning to his freckled face. I got a stick and tied to it one of those old cabbages that Uncle Rufus has got packed away under the shed. Then, went on the inventive genius, I went behind Billy and pushed, holding the cabbage ahead of his nose. Say, that goat would walk up the side of a house, let alone three flights of stairs, for a cabbage!

Can you beat him? murmured Neale, vastly delighted by this confession.

I feel sometimes as though I would like to beat him, answered Ruth. See if you can get Billy Bumps out to his proper quarters, Neale.

But that was not easy, and it took an hours work and finally the tying of Billy Bumps hand and foot before the sturdy goat was overcome and returned to his pen.

By this time, however, the snow had stopped. Lunch was served in the big Corner House dining-room, Neale and Sammy being guests.

It was an hilarious meal, of course. With such a crowd of young folks about the table and on Saturday, too! a sedate time was not possible. But Ruth tried to keep the younger ones from talking too loud or being too careless in their table manners.

Aunt Sarah Maltby, sitting at one end of the table, shook her head solemnly about midway of the meal at Sammy Pinkney.

Young man, she said in her severest way, what do you suppose will become of you? You are the most mischievous boy I have ever seen and I have seen a good many in my time.

Yesm, said Sammy, hanging his head, for he was afraid of Aunt Sarah.

You should think of the future, admonished the old lady. There is something besides fun in this world.