Some Little People Part 2

'Lisbeth forgot the roller; forgot the mother home from the mill; forgot the very best clothes; forgot everything but the mussels and the brook, and d.i.c.kon forgot them too. There must be mussels in the brook, and pearls in the mussels. They would wade for them; they could see them at the bottom of the stream. They ran along the road to the woods; along the wood's path to the brook. d.i.c.kon took off his shoes. 'Lisbeth forgot to take off her shoes. They waded along in the water.

'Lisbeth at first held the blue dress out of the water; then she forgot to hold it out of the water; then she slipped on a stone, and fell in, and d.i.c.kon slipped, and splashed in the water in trying to keep her up; and the water, which had been clear as crystal, threw up its mud in indignation. They climbed out of the mud upon the gra.s.s, and looked at each other.

'Lisbeth had lost her shoes. d.i.c.kon looked at his own. They were all he had of his very best rig. How could they ever get home? d.i.c.kon tried to wipe the mud off, to wring it out, but 'Lisbeth would not be wrung out; she said she did not mind. But she did mind, because she would not walk or sit down, or do anything for a few minutes but stand and look. Then she told d.i.c.kon to come with her. He came, and they went down to Dillon's cottage.

"Please, Mr. Dillon, put me in the wheelbarrow," said 'Lisbeth. But Dillon only stopped smoking his pipe to laugh.

"Please, Mr. Dillon, very fast put me in a wheelbarrow," said 'Lisbeth, growing excited, "and roll me home." And Mr. Dillon did.

'Lisbeth's mother looked from the door. She saw the wheelbarrow; she saw Dillon's coat over something in the wheelbarrow. And other people looked from their doors and saw them too. 'Lisbeth's mother was not pleased when she saw what was in the wheelbarrow, and 'Lisbeth was no nearer getting to London than she had been before, because they were poorer instead of richer. 'Lisbeth's mother cried over the spoiled clothes. 'Lisbeth felt very badly about them, so did d.i.c.kon, but feeling badly did not bring them back. They were nothing, from that time, but stained, and washed, and faded clothes instead of brand new ones.

'Lisbeth thought about the clothes so much that she concluded she should try to do something to buy more. She began to think she was getting big enough. She contrived a great many ways, but she could not seem to decide upon anything.

There was an old hogshead under the walnut tree, very high and old. When she had anything very important to think about she liked to climb up and sit on the top of the hogshead. She never allowed anybody to sit there with her. She climbed up on the hogshead and sat very still, thinking how to manage about the new clothes.

Suddenly she had a pleasant thought; she believed she had a thought that would answer. She jumped up and down so suddenly and so hard that the hogshead tried to move its head out of the way. It was scarcely polite for 'Lisbeth to jump so hard on its head. It did move its head--or a part of it--and 'Lisbeth sat inside the hogshead instead of outside of it.

The mother found her there when she came home. Had 'Lisbeth picked the beans, as mother had told her to do, instead of trying to think about doing something else, she would not have been obliged to sit in the hogshead's mouth, nor to have eaten her porridge without beans.

CHAPTER V.

'Lisbeth was awake bright and early next day; she had business to attend to.

Mother told her to be a good girl and take care of Trotty. 'Lisbeth said she would. I suppose she thought she would, but she forgot Trotty very soon, for she saw neighbor Gilham across the hill driving his sheep.

Away she went running and skipping. She could scarcely wait to get to neighbor Gilham; but she was obliged to wait, for the path across the field and up to the hill was quite winding; she was obliged to follow the path.

"Good morning," said 'Lisbeth, at length coming near neighbor Gilham.

"Good morning," said he; "what brought you so far from home?"

"I came on business," said 'Lisbeth; "very important."

"Indeed! where are you going?"

"Nowhere. I'm going to be a sheep-boy. I made up my mind to 't yesterday, only I got in the hogshead."

"And whose sheep are you going to mind?"

"Yours. I want to get money to buy a new dress, because I tumbled in the mud and spoiled my blue speckled, and I want to get rich to go to London."

"Hi! hi! that is it; and you are going to be a sheep-boy?"

"Yes, sir, please go home."

"I cannot have a sheep-boy with skirts, he must have pants; the sheep would not like a sheep-boy with skirts."

'Lisbeth hung down her head; she began pulling some berries which grew among the brambles. She did not say another word to Mr. Gilham; she only ran down the path. Mr. Gilham giggled a little to see her go. Mr. Gilham fell asleep; fell, rather into a doze. It did not seem to him many minutes from the time when he saw her run down the path, till he heard her say: "Please go home, sir."

"Who are you?" said Mr. Gilham, rousing up.

"I'm the sheep-boy 'Lisbeth Lillibun."

[Ill.u.s.tration]

"I cannot have a sheep-boy in borrowed trousers," said Mr. Gilham, very decidedly; "it would not do."

"Yes it would! d.i.c.kon said I might borrow 'm; yes it would do very much indeed."

Mr. Gilham was so positive that it would not do that 'Lisbeth began to cry.

"Sheep-boys never cry, never," said Mr. Gilham, and 'Lisbeth wiped her eyes as fast as she could.

"Please to go home very fast," said 'Lisbeth, but Mr. Gilham only laughed, which made 'Lisbeth very uncomfortable.

"Please to don't laugh so much," said 'Lisbeth; "more people 'n me tend to business."

"Sheep-boys must keep big dogs away; they would kill the sheep."

"Yes, when I see 'm coming."

"Sheep-boys must drive away men; they would steal the sheep."

"Yes; of course," said 'Lisbeth, trying to look very tall.

"Sheep-boys must keep away lions, and tigers, and bears."

"Did you ever drive away any tigers and lions and bears, Mr. Gilham?"

inquired 'Lisbeth, looking straight in his eyes.

"I never did, but my sheep-boy must; that is what I want a sheep-boy for."

"He can't if there are none," said 'Lisbeth, looking very wise.

"But there might be."

"I don't think there might be."

"But if there should be?"

"I'll--run and tell you," said 'Lisbeth.

Neighbor Gilham decided that this would never do, and 'Lisbeth thought him unreasonable enough, but she felt half inclined to stamp her foot at him, and tell him to go home, but he looked so big and idle; he looked too big and idle to get home. She thought it was a pretty business, and so it was. She concluded that she had gone into the hogshead's mouth for nothing, and so she had.