A Little Maid of Massachusetts Colony

by Alice Turner Curtis

  CHAPTER X

  AUNT ANNE ROSE

  But the horses came to a sudden stop a few feet from where the girlsstood. Then one turned and rushed away, kicking up his heels as if tosay: "I'm not to be caught!"

  Rose kept on calling "Range! Range!" and shaking the pan, and the otherhorse stepped forward and stuck his nose into the dish.

  "Grab hold of his mane, Anne. Quick! and hold on tight!" said Rose; "thewoman is coming now with the bridle."

  Anne obeyed, holding fast to the black mane until Mrs. Pierce camerunning from the barn, bringing a blanket and a bridle.

  "I'm glad you caught Range," she said; "he's used to a saddle, and thecolt is wild as a deer." While she talked she was strapping the blanketsecurely on the horse's back, and now slipped the bit into his mouth.

  "The little girl better go," she continued, nodding toward Anne. "Youjust climb that fence, and I'll lead Range alongside and you can get onhis back nicely. Sit boy fashion; it's safer. No sense as I can see in agirl jest hanging on to one side of anything," and almost before sheknew it Anne found herself on the back of the black horse.

  Mrs. Pierce, who had told the girls her name on the way to the pasture,led Range out into the road and headed him in the right direction.

  "If he don't go fast enough kick your heels against his sides and callto him," directed the woman, handing the reins to Anne, and giving thehorse a sharp slap that sent him off at a good pace.

  It seemed to Anne as if she were going up into the air, or over thehorse's head. But somehow she managed to keep on Range's back, thoughshe did not dare to give a backward look.

  "YOU CAN GET ON HIS BACK"]

  "Range will bring your pa back in no time, don't you worry," said Mrs.Pierce, giving Rose a kindly pat on the shoulder; then exclaiming, "Thebread!" she ran back to the house, leaving Rose looking down the road,and wondering, a little fearfully, if Anne would reach the big beechtree without being thrown into the road.

  Then she looked the other way, in the direction of Boston, and wonderedwhat would befall Lady.

  "Come in, my dear, out of this hot sun," Mrs. Pierce called from thedoorway, and Rose went slowly up the path and entered the big squareroom at the right of the small square entry.

  "You sit right down and I'll bring you a drink," and Mrs. Pierce drewforward a comfortable rocking-chair for her young guest, and was soonback with a cup of milk and a square of fresh gingerbread.

  "I should admire to have a girl just like you," declared Mrs. Pierce,taking the empty cup. "I can see that you've a real good disposition,and a girl would be a sight of company to me."

  Then Rose told her about her own mother, and had begun to tell her AnneNelson's little history, when Mrs. Pierce again exclaimed: "My bread!"and hurried off to the kitchen.

  Rose went to the open window and looked out, wondering how long it wouldbe before her father would reach the farmhouse, and it seemed a longtime to wait in spite of the friendly kindness of Mrs. Pierce.

  The black horse went along at an easy pace, and after a little Anneceased to be afraid, held the bridle-reins more easily, and evenventured to look about a little.

  "Things keep happening," she thought. "I hope nothing has carried offMr. Freeman and the chaise!"

  Mr. Freeman was standing in the roadway, and as he saw Range with Anneon his back coming rapidly toward him he gave an exclamation ofsurprise. At a word the horse stopped, and Mr. Freeman lifted Anne fromhis back.

  "A man went by Mrs. Pierce's with Lady before we got there," said Anne,after she had told him of the farmhouse, of Mrs. Pierce, and of catchingRange.

  While she talked Mr. Freeman was harnessing Range into the chaise, andthey were soon on the way to the farm.

  Rose and Mrs. Pierce were at the gate to meet them.

  "Oh, father! Can't you go after Lady?" asked Rose.

  Mr. Freeman looked at Mrs. Pierce questioningly. "If Mrs. Pierce willlend me a horse I'll go at once," he replied; "there are a good manyhouses along the way now, and I might get some trace of the thief."

  "You go right along. Take the colt; he's as fast as any horsehereabouts, and maybe you can overtake the fellow," replied Mrs. Pierce.

  Mr. Freeman captured the colt, and, telling Rose not to worry if he didnot return until night, started off, the colt going at a pace that madethe girls exclaim in admiration.

  "I'm real sorry you folks should be so set back in your journey, butit's real pleasant for me to have company," said Mrs. Pierce, with asmiling look at her young visitors. "It's days and weeks sometimeswithout my seeing any one but my husband and the boys. Now we'll sitdown here and you tell me all about your journey."

  "It's just like a story!" declared Mrs. Pierce, when they had finished."And now you are going to Boston, and you will see the streets andshops, and churches." She gave a little sigh as she finished, and Anneand Rose wished that it was possible for Mrs. Pierce to go to Bostonwith them.

  "I don't suppose you could mark out a little plan of Boston, could you?"she said to Rose. "I like to imagine things to myself when I'm herealone, and if I knew how the streets went, and where you lived, why, Icould say to myself, 'To-day Rose and Anne are going up King Streettoward the State House, and up Long-acre Street to the Common,' and itwould seem almost as if I saw you when I looked at the plan."

  "Yes, I think I could," said Rose, and Mrs. Pierce brought a sheet ofpaper and a red crayon from a big desk in the corner and laid them onthe table.

  Mrs. Pierce and Anne watched Rose mark out the Common and the Mall. "TheMall is where the fine people walk in the afternoon," she said. "Mr.Hancock's mansion is right here, on Beacon Hill, where you get a fineview across the Charles River to Charlestown."

  Then she marked Copp's Hill. "This is where the British had their gunswhen the great battle was fought at Bunker Hill," she said.

  Mrs. Pierce listened eagerly. "I can 'most see it all!" she exclaimed."Now show me where your house is," and Rose made a little square for herhome.

  "We are nearer the harbor than many houses are," she explained, "for myfather owns a wharf, and it is convenient to be where he can see boatsand vessels coming in."

  The girls had been so interested, Rose in drawing and explaining, andAnne in listening, that time passed very rapidly, and when Rose finishedMrs. Pierce opened the door of a queer little cupboard beside thechimney and took out a small square box.

  "My! Is that a gold box!" exclaimed Anne admiringly, for the box shoneand glittered in the light.

  "If it was I wouldn't keep it these days, when our poor soldiers needfood and clothes," replied Mrs. Pierce; "it is brass, one my grandfatherbrought from France." As she spoke she lifted the cover and took out twolittle cases of brown leather, and handed one to Rose and the other toAnne. "Open the little clasps," she said.

  The girls obeyed, and as the little cases opened they exclaimedadmiringly, for each case held a pair of scissors, a silver thimble, atiny emery ball and a needle book.

  "My uncle brought me those when I was about your age," Mrs. Pierce saidto Anne. "I never quite made out why he brought two until this veryday, but I see now," and she smiled happily at her little visitors. "Isee now, because I can give one to each of you girls!"

  After the girls had thanked her, and tried on the thimbles, and declaredthat the cases were almost too nice to use, Mrs. Pierce left them for afew moments.

  "Rose," exclaimed Anne, "wouldn't it be splendid if Mrs. Pierce wouldlet us make believe that she was our aunt?"

  "Perhaps she will; she told me that she hadn't any brothers or sisters,or anybody except her husband and two sons," said Rose. "We might askher if she would be willing for us, when we talk about her to eachother, to call her 'Aunt Anne Rose'!"

  "If your father only gets Lady back we'll be real glad the man took her;shan't we, Rose?" said Anne thoughtfully.

  "Because we found Aunt Anne Rose? Why, yes, I suppose we shall," repliedRose. "But isn't it funny she should have our names! You ask her, Anne,if she is willing for us to c
all her aunt."

  "There!" exclaimed Mrs. Pierce, when Anne ran into the kitchen andasked the question, "if I wasn't wishing for that very thing. I count itas a real blessing that some one went off with your horse! I do indeed.And if Rose's father don't find Lady he can borrow our colt for the restof the journey."

  It was late in the afternoon before Mr. Freeman returned, but he did notbring Lady, nor had he any news of her.

  Mr. Pierce and his sons returned home at nightfall, and made thetravelers feel that they were as pleased as "Aunt Anne Rose" to havetheir guests remain for the night.