Mamie's Watchword

by Joanna H. Mathews

  IV.

  _FORBIDDEN PLEASURES._

  THEY were nearing the breakwater as Lily spoke these last words, andthe rest of the party paused when they came opposite to it, and Mr.Norris held out his hand to his little daughter, saying,--

  "We are going on the breakwater for a few moments, Lily, and Mr. Powersis going to take Belle. Do you want to come?"

  Lily assented, and seized upon her papa's hand, all the more eagerlybecause she saw her brother Tom and the Stone boys upon the pier, andLily always liked to go where Tom was.

  Mamie rushed up to her father.

  "You come too, papa; you come too, and take me; will you?" sheexclaimed.

  "Mamma does not wish you to go upon the breakwater, Mamie," answeredMr. Stone. "I promised her this morning that I would not take youthere, nor allow you to go under any circumstances."

  "It's not fair," whined Mamie, her good resolutions and her watchwordonce more forgotten; "it's not fair! The other children are going, andwhy can't I, with you to take care of me?"

  "Because I _promised_ mamma, dear," said Mr. Stone. "I am sorry she hasthis fear of your going upon the breakwater; but since it is so, wemust give way to it, for we do not wish to trouble her, and you knowshe seldom crosses any of your wishes."

  Ah! but Mamie had no thought for that now. She was crossed just at thepresent moment, and she forgot all her mother's indulgence; and it onlyseemed to her that she was very ill used, and her mamma very unkindand provoking.

  She begged and fretted, but all in vain; her father was usually firmerwith her than her mother was, and now having, as he said, given apromise that he would not allow Mamie to go, he would not yield to herdesire.

  In this mood she was led home, where she increased her own discontentand longing for a forbidden pleasure by refusing to employ or amuseherself in any other way; and standing sullenly at one end of thelong piazza, idly leaning against a pillar, and watching the distantbreakwater where she could see several figures, among whom shedistinguished Belle and Lily, sitting or clambering around.

  "It was too bad," "too mean," "real hateful," she said to herself;she "knew the breakwater was just the very pleasantest spot in thewhole place; it must be so grand to see the waves come up there;" and,resolutely putting from her all better thoughts and feelings, shenursed her ill-humor till she was thoroughly miserable.

  And from that time the desire to go upon the breakwater took completepossession of Mamie's mind. Not that she knew of any very specialattraction there; there were half a dozen play-grounds quite aspleasant, some far more so than the forbidden spot; but I am sorry tosay that it was for that very reason, because it _was_ forbidden, thatshe longed to go, and was determined to do so if she could possiblyfind the way. To _worry_ her mother into withdrawing her refusal washer first idea; but she soon found this was useless; all her teasing,oft-repeated though it was, could not move Mrs. Stone. She believed theplace to be dangerous, was nervous and uneasy even when her great boyswere there, and nothing could persuade her to give Mamie the desiredpermission.

  Still it must not be supposed that Mamie exactly planned an act ofdeliberate disobedience, and carried such a purpose about with her inher heart. But she was rebellious and discontented; thought her motherwas "mean" and "foolish;" and nursed other undutiful feelings, and sopaved the way for sin when temptation and opportunity came. She was notopenly naughty and disobedient, as yet; and she forgot that the Eyewhich saw all her actions, good and bad, marked quite as plainly everythought of her heart.

  She was playing with Lulu that afternoon, when Lily came rushing overto her in a state of great excitement.

  "Come over to our house, and see the very cunningest and queerest thingyou ever saw in your life," she said.

  "What is it?" asked Mamie.

  "Come and see," repeated Lily. "Can she come, Mrs. Stone?" to Mamie'smamma, who sat upon the piazza near by.

  Mrs. Stone gave the permission which Lily judged necessary, but whichMamie probably would not have thought of asking; and the latter droppedthe tongue of the wagon which she was drawing, in the character ofLulu's horse.

  "Lulu do too," said the little one, who had no mind to be shut out fromthe promised entertainment.

  "O you pet! Could she come too, Mrs. Stone?" asked Lily. "We'd be verycareful of her, and it's a very safe place, just behind the house, thatwe are going to."

  Permission was given for this also; Mamie, who was very fond of herlittle sister, and generally very good to her, also begging for it; andthe delighted baby was led away by her two proud young protectors.

  Lily guided her guests to the back of "our house," as she called thehotel where she boarded; and there were gathered not only Belle andMabel, but most of the other children who were staying there, even herbrother Tom and some boys quite as large among them, much interestedin a mixed brood of newly hatched chickens and ducklings which wererunning about a coop.

  Within was the mother hen, ruffling up her feathers till she was twiceher natural size, clucking and scolding at what she plainly consideredthis unwarrantable intrusion upon her premises, and thrusting her headthrough the bars of her coop in wild but vain efforts to follow hernestlings.

  "There!" said Lily, "did you ever see any thing so cunning? The littleducks are rather ugly, but then they are funny; and it is so queer fora hen to have ducks for her children. I never heard of any thing soromantic. Now, you need not laugh, Tom. Does it not seem very strange?"

  "Not so strange when you know that they gave the old hen duck's eggs,as well as her own, to set on," said Tom.

  "But the little ducks' heads don't fit; they are too big for them. Isthat because a hen set on them?" asked Belle, which question sent allthe large boys into a fit of laughter, whereupon poor Belle looked asif she had half a mind to run away.

  But Tom Norris kindly drew her to him, and told her that youngducklings were always such awkward, top-heavy looking little things.

  "They're not one bit pretty, only funny," said Lily; "but the chickensare real cunning and pretty; dear little downy things. I'd like to haveone in my hands; can I, Tom?"

  "No," answered Tom, "you must not touch them. Mrs. Clark would not likeit, for you might hurt it; and it would distress the old hen."

  "She couldn't make much more fuss than she is making now, the cross oldthing!" said Lily, shaking her fist at the hen, "and we're not doing athing to her or her chickens."

  "She's afraid we will, you see," said Tom. "Hi! and there's Lulu afterone now;" and dropping Belle's hand which had been confidingly nestlingin his, he darted upon the little one just as she had succeeded ingrasping a tiny chicken.

  For Lily and Mamie, in their own excitement over the birds, had lefttheir hold of the child's hands, and being seized with the same desirewhich Lily had expressed, she had improved her opportunities, and madeoff after a chicken.

  She had barely secured her prize when Tom's hand was upon her, notrudely or roughly, but with a firm, though gentle hold; and Tom's voicewas telling her that she "must let the poor little chickie go."

  "No, no. Lulu want it so. Lulu love it," lisped the little one incoaxing tones, holding up the peeping, struggling thing against Tom'scheek as if to persuade him by its downy charms to let her keep it.

  "But Lulu hurts it, and it is God's little chickie, and He don't wantit to be hurt," said Tom, gently unclasping the fat, dimpled fingers,and releasing the poor, terrified bird before it had received muchfarther injury than a good fright.

  "Lulu dest only 'queeze it a little; dest only," said the child,with whom these last words, meaning "just only," were a favoriteexpression; and the distressed tone of voice and grieved lip told thatshe was taking the release of the chicken much to heart.

  "But it hurts it to squeeze it," said Tom, taking her up in his arms;"and Mrs. Clark will be angry if you hurt it or kill it."

  "Tlart don't see," said Lulu, looking around her to make sure of thetruth of her argument.

  "But God sees," said Tom, "and He wants Lulu to be
good and not catchthe little chickens or ducklings."

  "Does He say Lulu naughty dirl if she tuts 'em?" asked Lulu, raisingher eyes to the sky where she had been told God lived, as if sheexpected to see Him.

  "He says Lulu is naughty if she hurts the birdies, or don't mind whatshe is told," said Tom.

  "Den Lulu won't," said the little one; "but Lulu want de chitteeso-o-o," she added, with a long-drawn sigh which told that thesacrifice was almost too much for her.

  "That's a good girl. Don't you want me to give you some pretty shells?"said Tom approvingly.

  This attempt to divert her attention proved quite successful, and Tomcarried her away with all her smiles restored.

  "What a dear, good little thing!" said one and another of the childishgroup, all of whom had heard what passed.

  "Yes, so she is," said Mabel; "but Tom might have let her have thechicken a few moments. It was no such great harm, and it was real meanand silly of him."

  Lily turned upon her with threatening voice and manner.

  "Don't you dare to talk that way of my Tom," she said. "He's _not_ meanand silly, but he's wise as any thing, and knows a whole lot about whatis right; and he is un-meaner than any one you know!"

  "I shall touch the chickens and ducks if I want to, and Tom shan't sayany thing about it," said Mabel, defiantly.

  "It's none of my affairs if you do," returned Lily; "but you're notgoing to talk horridly about my Tom."

  That she would take very decided measures to prevent this, or, atleast, to punish any repetition of the offence, Lily plainly showed bythe very emphatic little nod of her head, with which she treated Mabel.

  The latter turned pettishly away, knowing that Lily generally had thebest of it in any war of words, but she muttered as she did so,--

  "I'll touch them when Tom's not here."

  "She forgets 'the eyes of the Lord' are everywhere," said Mamie,rather jauntily, for Lulu being her sister, she felt very proud of hergood behavior on this occasion, and as if it reflected some credit onherself; "and she's not half as good as Lulu."

  Lily turned her eyes upon her with a look in which Mamie read somedisapproval and questioning.

  "What's the matter?" she asked.

  "Nothing much. I was only thinking," said Lily, not feeling quitesure that she would be justified in calling Mamie to account for whatshe felt to be a careless way of speaking. Moreover, one quarrel wasas much as she cared to manage at once; and, considering Mabel as thegreater offender of the two, she allowed Mamie to go unreproved for thetime.

  But, having spoken her mind on the subject of Mabel's criticism ofTom's conduct, her feelings were relieved, and she was ready to befriends again, which she showed by saying,--

  "Let's all go to the Rocks now if our mothers will let us. Come, Mabel,make up, and come with us."

  Mabel certainly meant to go with the others, but she was resentful,and had no intention of "making up" so soon; and for some time sheheld aloof from Lily, regarding her with frowning and angry looks, andrefusing to walk near her.

  "The Rocks make the most splendid place to play in that you ever wentto," said Lily, with the confidence of one who was familiar with thespot in question, and therefore fully entitled to express an opinion;"and I'm going to take down some little boats Tom made me, and we'llsail them in a lovely pool that I know of. But then everybody must bepleasant and nice if they expect me to lend them to them," she added,by way of a persuasive admonition to the still sullen Mabel.

  But even this inducement did not move Mabel, and her good humor was notrestored till they reached the Rocks, and the charms of the wonderfulplace made her forget all cause of offence.

  Lily had not, indeed she could not, say too much in praise of thesemagnificent rocks. They lay in a vast stretch along the coast, now lowand shelving to the water's brink, now abrupt and precipitous, risingin huge masses piled one upon the other, or here and there standingout boldly in some single, grand bluff. All over them were curiousnatural steps worn in the solid stone. You might go some distance, andimagine you had come to a place whence there was no outlet for fartherprogress, and lo! turning to the right hand or the left, you wouldseldom fail to find these stepping-places to help you onwards. A lightand active foot was an advantage, it is true; and now and then a goodjump was necessary, unless one was contented to turn ignominiouslyback, and search for some easier way. But a rich reward for any amountof hard scrambling awaited you when you had reached some choice spot,and resting in a natural seat, carved by nature out of the stone,looked out over the great expanse of blue ocean before you, or castyour eye down the long line of coast where the white, curling waveswere breaking in masses of snowy foam.

  Here in one spot, below where the great boulders lay massed in wildconfusion, the waters came rolling in, in one grand, massive sweep;there, in another, they were boiling and churning as in some greatcaldron; farther on still, where some huge rock rose frowning andstern, thrusting itself into the sea far beyond its fellows, they werebroken into countless showers of spray which, now and then, caught thesun's rays, and sparkled with all the colors of the rainbow.

  But perhaps the whole beauty and grandeur of the place could scarcelybe felt by our little friends; and for them, the chief attractions werethe cosey nooks these rocks afforded for playing baby-house; the famoushiding-places; and, most of all, the numerous pools either left by thetide, or collecting on higher ground, after some recent rain. Thesewere extremely convenient for sailing vessels of various sizes andshapes, building docks and piers, bathing any dolls which might be madeof such materials as would stand a bath, or which were past injury; inshort, there were various ways in which they might be, and were madeuseful by the young frequenters of the spot.

  And many of the salt-water pools were miniature gardens, filled withtiny sea-plants of all lovely shades of green, purple, and brown, andhere and there of a bright red like coral; and among them lived curiouslittle fish and water animals, anemones, starfish, with others whosenames are too hard for you to remember.

  None knew their advantages better than Lily, who jumped and sprang andclambered like a goat,--I beg her pardon, a gazelle would have beenmore complimentary. Nora and the other nurses who accompanied the youngparty held their breath as they saw her almost fly from point to point,graceful and fearless, seeming as if her tiny feet scarcely touchedthe ground; but the children themselves looked on admiringly, andwere fired, by her example, with the desire to do likewise, rebellingagainst the restraining hands which were laid upon them when they triedto follow too rapidly.

  Ah! those famous rocks made a capital play-ground with an endlessvariety of entertainment.

  "Miss Lily'll be satisfied now, I suppose, for here's where she alwayslikes to come and play," said Nora with a sigh of relief, as theroguish sprite paused upon a high, bold rock, and snatching off her hatturned towards the others and waved it triumphantly, calling out, "Comeon! Here's a _splendid_ place, with a great, big puddle and lots ofstones about."

  "'Pears like a temptin' ob Probidence," wheezed old Daphne, Belle'snurse, as puffing and blowing, with one eye fixed anxiously on herlittle charge, who fearlessly followed Lily's guidance, she awkwardlyslid and rolled from ledge to ledge. "It's de uncanniest place eber_I_ see. We don't hab none sech down Souf to home. De shore am smoofand de water quiet and well-behaved most times down dere. None ob yersplutterin' and fussin' like dis, nor sech awful hard walkin';" andDaphne's injured groan and sniff but added force to her uncomplimentarycomparison; but it was with a hopelessly resigned expression ofcountenance which much amused the other nurse-maids, that she, at last,settled herself into a shady nook, declaring that "dese are de hardeststones I _eber did_ see."