"Then, mother, why don't you go down and meet father?" asked Florry, who was an unselfish little thing, especially where her mother was concerned. "The walk and the fresh air will you do good; and it is a beautiful evening. Do, mother, please, and I will make the fire and set the table, and have everything ready when you come. Do, mother."
"Very well," said Mrs. Lester, smiling, and kissing Florry. "You will do it very nicely; and you may make some coffee instead of tea, if you choose, for a surprise to father."
Mrs. Lester put away her work and went down to the ferry to meet her husband, who had been over to the other side of the lake on business; and Florry set about getting supper ready. At another time, she would have enjoyed the bustle of making the fire, drawing water, and grinding the coffee; for she was a clever little housewife for a girl of her age, and loved to help everybody; but now everything seemed to go wrong. The fire would not burn, the handle came off the coffee-mill; and, at last, as she was drawing some water for the tea-table, the windlass of the well slipped from her hand, flew round and, hitting her in the breast, almost knocked her down, and hurt her so that she burst out crying. At that moment, her mother came in at the back door, and seeing the accident ran to Florry's relief.
"My poor little girl! I am afraid you have hurt yourself very badly. There, don't cry, but tell mother where it hit you. You should not have tried to draw up the bucket full of water. It was too heavy for you."
"Florry is so ambitious, she is always going beyond her strength," remarked Mary, who had also just come in. "If she had only as much strength as spunk, there isn't nothing she wouldn't do. I was telling Ciss this afternoon, 'If you would only take pattern by our Florry,' says I, 'you wouldn't leave ma to do everything.'"
"Mary wouldn't say that, if she knew," thought Florry. She stopped crying as soon as she could, and told her mother she was not much hurt.
"It was only that it startled me so. I didn't know what had happened. The supper is all ready, mother—the coffee is made, and all. Oh, what beautiful apricots!" she exclaimed, as she entered the dining-room, and saw on the table a pretty little basket piled up with large and fine apricots. "Where aid they come from, mother?"
"Mr. Hausen gave them to father," replied Mrs. Lester. "They came from his place over on the other side. Are they not fine ones?"
"The Hausens are just the kind of folks who ought to be rich," remarked Mary. "They seem to think their nice things are only given them to share with other people. The old lady, Mr. Hausen's mother, is just so. Does Emma take after the rest of them?"
"Oh, yes: she would give away her head, if it were loose," answered Florry, rather slightingly. "She is always in trouble with Miss Van Ness for lending her pencils and pens in school, and for telling in class. Miss Van Ness scolded her for giving away her paper to Lavinia Stephens, only yesterday."