A Little Maid of Old Philadelphia | Page 3

small chair, made of stiff pasteboard and covered with a flowered
chintz, sat "Josephine," Winifred's most treasured doll. Josephine wore
a very full skirt of crimson silk, a cape of the same material, and on her
head rested a bonnet of white silk, on the front of which was a tall
white feather. There were two smaller dolls, and each occupied a chair
exactly like the one in which Josephine was seated, but neither of them
was so beautifully dressed.
"I made that bonnet myself," Winifred declared, as Ruth knelled down
beside the dolls and exclaimed admiringly over Josephine's fine apparel.
"And that feather is one that came floating into our garden. Gilbert says
it's an eagle's feather," she continued.
"It is lovely!" Ruth said, "and this window is the nicest place to play
dolls in all Philadelphia. And these dolls' chairs are splendid. I wish I
had one for Cecilia."
"Well, why don't you make one? I helped Grandma make these. All
you have to do is cut the pieces out of cardboard, cover them with cloth,
and sew them together. I'll help you," said Winifred, as she opened a
closet door and drew out a brown linen bag.
"This is the scrap-bag. Look, Ruthie;" and she drew out a long strip of
plaided silk.
"That would make a lovely sash for Cecilia," said Ruth, "but of course
it would be nice for Josephine," she added quickly, half-afraid that she
had seemed grasping of Winifred's possessions.
"Josephine doesn't like a sash," said Winifred. "You take it home and
tell Cecilia it's a present from Aunt Winifred."

Then there was a roll of small pieces of pale blue satin; just right to
make a bonnet for Ruth's doll.
For some time the little girls played happily with the bright pieces of
silk, selecting bits for one or the other of the dolls, so that when the big
clock in the hall struck twelve Ruth jumped up in surprise.
"Oh, Winnie! It's dinner-time! What will Aunt Deborah say to me?" she
exclaimed, putting on her hat, and gathering up the silk pieces.
"Thank you, Winnie! I must run. Aunt Deborah doesn't like me to be
late, ever," she said, hurrying toward the stairway.
"Come over to-morrow and I'll help you make a doll's chair; and I hope
you'll find Hero safe at home," Winifred called after her as Ruth ran
down the stairs.
At Winifred's words all Ruth's pleasure in the morning's play, in the
pretty bits of silk for her dolls, and the plan for making the chairs,
vanished. Hero was lost; she knew he was. With his silky coat, and his
faithful, soft brown eyes, his eager bark of welcome when his little
mistress came running into the garden for a game of hide-and-go-seek
with him.
Aunt Deborah had spread the table for dinner, which was one of Ruth's
regular duties; and when Ruth came slowly into the room she was just
bringing in a dish of baked potatoes hot from the oven.
"I didn't find Hero," said Ruth, throwing her little package of silks on a
chair and then her hat on top of it. "What shall I do, Aunt Deborah?
What shall I do? I am sure one of those English soldiers has taken
him," and now Ruth began to cry.
"Ruth! Stop thy foolish crying. Thy dinner is waiting. Go to thy room
and make thyself tidy," commanded Aunt Deborah, "and take thy hat
and package," she added.
Ruth obeyed rather reluctantly. "All Aunt Deborah thinks about is

keeping 'tidy,'" she whispered rebelliously as she left the room. "I've
washed my hands three times already to-day. She doesn't care if Hero is
lost. Probably she's glad, because his paws are dirty."
But Ruth was mistaken; Aunt Deborah had spent an hour that morning
in going up and down the alley looking for the missing dog, and in a
careful search of the house and garden. She valued Hero's faithfulness;
and not even Ruth herself would have been more pleased than Aunt
Deborah to hear his bark, and see him jump forward from his usual
playground in the garden.
"Perhaps Hero has wandered off," Aunt Deborah said when Ruth took
her place at the table, "but he will come back, I doubt not, before
nightfall."
"If he doesn't I shall go and tell the British General that he must find
him," declared Ruth, somewhat to Aunt Deborah's amusement; who
was quite sure that the little girl would not dare to approach General
Howe, who had comfortably established himself in one of the fine
houses on High Street.
CHAPTER II
GILBERT AND LAFAYETTE
Two days passed and there was no tidings of the missing dog; and even
Aunt Deborah began to fear that they should never see him again. It