Elsies Girlhood

A free download from http://www.dertz.in


Elsie's Girlhood

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Elsie's Girlhood, by Martha Finley
Copyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check the
copyright laws for your country before downloading or redistributing
this or any other Project Gutenberg eBook.
This header should be the first thing seen when viewing this Project
Gutenberg file. Please do not remove it. Do not change or edit the
header without written permission.
Please read the "legal small print," and other information about the
eBook and Project Gutenberg at the bottom of this file. Included is
important information about your specific rights and restrictions in how
the file may be used. You can also find out about how to make a
donation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved.
**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts**
**eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since
1971**
*****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of
Volunteers!*****
Title: Elsie's Girlhood
Author: Martha Finley
Release Date: February, 2006 [EBook #9963] [This file was first

posted on November 5, 2003] [Most recently updated November 26,
2005]
Edition: 10
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, ELSIE'S
GIRLHOOD ***

E-text prepared by Charles Aldarondo, Josephine Paolucci, and Project
Gutenberg Distributed Proofreaders

ELSIE'S GIRLHOOD
A SEQUEL TO
"ELSIE DINSMORE" AND "ELSIE'S HOLIDAYS AT
ROSELANDS"
BY
MARTHA FINLEY
1872

"Oh! time of promise, hope, and innocence, Of trust, and love, and
happy ignorance! Whose every dream is heaven, in whose fair joy
Experience yet has thrown no black alloy."
--THOUGHTS OF A RECLUSE

PREFACE
Some years have now elapsed since my little heroine "ELSIE
DINSMORE" made her début into the great world. She was sent out
with many an anxious thought regarding the reception that might await
her there. But she was kindly welcomed, and such has been the favor
shown her ever since that Publishers and Author have felt encouraged
to prepare a new volume in which will be found the story of those years
that have carried Elsie on from childhood to womanhood--the years in
which her character was developing, and mind and body were growing
and strengthening for the real work and battle of life.
May my readers who have admired and loved her as a child find her
still more charming in her fresh young girlhood; may she prove to all a
pleasant companion and friend; and to those of them now treading the
same portion of life's pathway a useful example also, particularly in her
filial love and obedience.
M.F.
CHAPTER I.
It is a busy, talking world.
--ROWE.
"I think I shall enjoy the fortnight we are to spend here, papa; it seems
such a very pleasant place," Elsie remarked, in a tone of great
satisfaction.
"I am glad you are pleased with it, daughter," returned Mr. Dinsmore,
opening the morning paper, which John had just brought up.
They--Mr. Dinsmore and Elsie, Rose and Edward Allison--were
occupying very comfortable quarters in a large hotel at one of our
fashionable watering-places. A bedroom for each, and a private parlor
for the joint use of the party, had been secured in advance, and late the
night before they had arrived and taken possession.

It was now early in the morning, Elsie and her papa were in his room,
which was in the second story and opened upon a veranda, shaded by
tall trees, and overlooking a large grassy yard at the side of the building.
Beyond were green fields, woods, and hills.
"Papa," said Elsie, gazing longingly upon them, as she stood by the
open window, "can't we take a walk?"
"When Miss Rose is ready to go with us."
"May I run to her door and ask if she is?--and if she isn't, may I wait for
her out here on the veranda?"
"Yes."
She skipped away, but was back again almost immediately. "Papa,
what do you think? It's just too bad!"
"What is too bad, daughter? I think I never before saw so cross a look
on my little girl's face," he said, peering at her over the top of his
newspaper. "Come here, and tell me what it is all about."
She obeyed, hanging her head and blushing. "I think I have some
reason to be cross, papa," she said; "I thought we were going to have
such a delightful time here, and now it is all spoiled. You could never
guess who has the rooms just opposite ours; on the other side of the
hall."
"Miss Stevens?"
"Why, papa; did you know she was here?"
"I knew she was in the house, because I saw her name in the hotel book
last night when I went to register ours."