[VII.]
THE PEACH-STONES.
THOSE peach-stones gave Maggie and Bessie a great deal to do. They were very busy children in those days. On Monday mamma began again with their lessons. They went to her for an hour each morning after they came from their walk, said a reading and spelling lesson, a little of the multiplication-table which Maggie said she was sure was made just "to bother little girls," and a verse of poetry; and when the hour was over, had a short sewing lesson. Maggie's "towel task," as she called it, was done later in the day whenever her mamma had time to attend to her.
As soon as the sewing lesson was over, they went to the yard to look after the peach-stones. Patrick saved them all for Bessie, and had found two boards for her on which she might dry them; and never peach-stones needed so much attention. In the first place, there was each morning the plate full which Patrick had collected from the table to be washed and spread out on the boards, and the whole number counted over and over again, for they could never make them twice the same.
Often when they went out, they found the cats had come over the fence, and knocked them down into the earth of the flower-garden, and they all had to be washed over again. Then Flossy, who was always with them now, would insist on scrambling over the boards, and would send the peach-stones flying in every direction, for he thought it fine fun to see them rolling about. There is no telling how much they enjoyed all this trouble, or how distressed they would have been, if it had been suddenly brought to an end. Indeed, they were quite disappointed if they found everything in good order when they went out in the yard.
"Margaret," said Mr. Bradford to his wife one day, as he sat at the library window, watching his little daughters at their work, "how long do you suppose it will take those peach-stones to dry at this rate?"