Elsie's Journey on Inland Waters
Page 21
CHAPTER XXI.
A few days longer our friends lingered in their pleasant cottages onthe beautiful island, loath to leave it, with any one of its manyinteresting localities unexplored. They walked, rode, drove, and sailedabout the bay, visiting now one island, and now another. CaptainRaymond's acquaintance with naval and military officers, and hishigh reputation among them making it easy for them to gain access tovessels, forts, and fortifications.
Goat Island interested them as the place where the English ship_Liberty_ was destroyed before the Revolution. They saw the noble stonepier, hundreds of feet long, visited the torpedo station, and thecaptain pointed out to the others the curving point on which, more thana century ago, very many pirates had been hanged.
They visited the city too, and looked with interest upon the old housesthat had stood here in and before Revolutionary times; among themRedwood Library, and old Trinity Church, in which Bishop Berkeley hadoften preached.
The young people were much interested too, in the old stone mill--thatsingular relic of the past about which there has been so muchspeculation--and, when visiting the island cemetery, in the plainobelisk marking the last resting place of Commodore Perry, the hero ofthe battle of Lake Erie.
Many of these things the captain and his family had seen on formervisits to Newport, yet they enjoyed seeing them again in company withthose of the party to whom they were entirely new.
But holidays must come to an end, and at length all felt so great adrawing toward their distant homes that a proposal to return to themwas made by Mrs. Dinsmore, and hailed with delight by all the others.
The needed preparations were speedily made, and early one morningthey set sail in the yacht, which before night had landed all but thecaptain's immediate family and Evelyn Leland in New York, where theytook a train for Philadelphia.
Mr. Cyril Keith was to meet his wife and family there, and they, withthe Emburys, were to hasten on to their homes in Louisiana, pausing onthe route for only a short visit to the neighborhood of the old home ofIsadore and Molly, and the relatives there.
Mr. and Mrs. Dinsmore had planned a short visit to their relatives inand near Philadelphia; and his daughter Elsie, with her daughter Rosie,one to her son Walter at Princeton; while Mr. and Mrs. Lilburn were todo likewise by her brother, Donald Keith and his family, Annis feelingvery happy in the thought of seeing them all, and showing them thedear, kindly old gentleman to whom she had given her heart and hand.
Having landed these passengers, the yacht changed her course, andsailed on down the Atlantic coast. The little ones were in theirberths, the others all on deck.
"Now, if I were not here, you would be just a family party," remarkedEvelyn, breaking a momentary silence.
"I think we are as it is," said the captain. "As you are a pupil ofmine, will you not let me count you as one of my family?"
"Indeed, sir; I should be only too glad to have you do so," sheanswered, in a sprightly tone; "but I doubt if Lu would be willing toshare her choicest treasure--her father's love--with me."
"Why, yes, I should, Eva! because he wouldn't love me any the less forloving you also," said Lulu.
"Oh, then you may adopt me just as soon as you like, captain," laughedEvelyn.
"Now, I think I have a right to some say in this matter," said Violet,in a light, jesting tone. "I object to becoming mother to a girl ofyour age and attainments, but am perfectly willing to have you for asister."
"Very well, my dear, that settles it," said the captain. "You and I,Eva, will consider ourselves brother and sister."
"Ah, I like that," said Grace; "though I am not sure that I shallconsider Eva my aunt. Papa, are we going directly home now?"
"Do you not see that we are hurrying onward in that direction?" heasked in reply.
A sudden thought seemed to strike Grace. "Oh, is Max in Annapolis now?"she asked.
"Yes," her father answered, with a joyous smile, "and I want to see myboy so badly that I have decided to call there for a few hours beforegoing home; unless some of you strongly object," he added, in a jestingtone.
"Of course we do, papa," laughed Lucilla. "How can you suppose that anyof us would be willing to see Max?"
"Very well, anyone who is averse to seeing him will have the privilegeof shutting herself into her stateroom while he is on board, andindeed, during the whole visit to Annapolis," replied the captain.
"And I well know Lu will not be one of them," laughed Violet.
They had a speedy and pleasant voyage, a delightful little visit withMax, after that a joyful return home, followed a few weeks later bythe coming of the Dinsmores, Travillas, and Lilburns, for whom somepleasant family parties were held, after which all settled down for thewinter's duties and pleasures.
The captain continued to act as tutor to Evelyn and his daughters,but Rosie had forsaken the schoolroom, Walter was no longer there,and for a time it seemed a trifle lonely to the remaining ones. Theysoon, however, became accustomed to the state of affairs, and so deeplyinterested in their studies that the hours devoted to them passed veryswiftly and pleasantly.
They also resumed their labors for the poor and ignorant of theneighborhood, making clothing for them, and teaching the women andgirls to sew for themselves and their families, at the same timecultivating their minds and hearts to some extent, by taking turns inreading aloud to them simple and instructive tales of value for thislife and the next.
It was Grandma Elsie who selected the reading matter and tookthe care and oversight of all the charitable work of her youngfriends--directing, encouraging, and urging them on, by both preceptand example.
How dearly they loved her! It might be truly said of her, as of thevirtuous woman described in the last chapter of Proverbs: "She openethher mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness."
THE END
A LIST OF THE ELSIE BOOKS AND OTHER POPULAR BOOKS
BY
MARTHA FINLEY
ELSIE DINSMORE. ELSIE'S HOLIDAYS AT ROSELANDS. ELSIE'S GIRLHOOD. ELSIE'S WOMANHOOD. ELSIE'S MOTHERHOOD. ELSIE'S CHILDREN. ELSIE'S WIDOWHOOD.
GRANDMOTHER ELSIE. ELSIE'S NEW RELATIONS. ELSIE AT NANTUCKET. THE TWO ELSIES. ELSIE'S KITH AND KIN. ELSIE'S FRIENDS AT WOODBURN.
CHRISTMAS WITH GRANDMA ELSIE. ELSIE AND THE RAYMONDS. ELSIE YACHTING WITH THE RAYMONDS. ELSIE'S VACATION. ELSIE AT VIAMEDE.
ELSIE AT ION. ELSIE AT THE WORLD'S FAIR. ELSIE'S JOURNEY ON INLAND WATERS. ELSIE AT HOME. ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. ELSIE IN THE SOUTH. ELSIE'S YOUNG FOLKS. ELSIE'S WINTER TRIP. ELSIE AND HER LOVED ONES.
MILDRED KEITH. MILDRED AT ROSELANDS. MILDRED'S MARRIED LIFE. MILDRED AND ELSIE. MILDRED AT HOME. MILDRED'S BOYS AND GIRLS. MILDRED'S NEW DAUGHTER.
CASELLA. SIGNING THE CONTRACT AND WHAT IT COST. THE TRAGEDY OF WILD RIVER VALLEY. OUR FRED. AN OLD-FASHIONED BOY. WANTED, A PEDIGREE. THE THORN IN THE NEST.
* * * * *
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES
Minor punctuation errors repaired.
Italic text is denoted by _underscores_
The list of Martha Finley's books has been moved from the front of the book to the end.
p82 Cass added a postcript. replaced with Cass added a postscript.
p105 "All that sounds quite appetizing," said Voilet. replaced with "All that sounds quite appetizing," said Violet.
p117 the provisions, baggage, and amumnition wagons replaced with the provisions, baggage, and ammunition wagons
p119 Perry landed and offered his serivces to Harrison replaced with Perry landed and offered his services to Harrison
p120 from Dolson's to Chatham replaced with from Dolsen's to Chatham
p163 replacing the sight frown replaced with replacing the slight frown
p265 I shall be glad to heard it, Molly. replaced with I shall be glad to hear it, Molly.
.Net