Mary Erskine | Page 6

went to catch Jemmy's. He did it by opening one of the bags and taking
out a little grain, and by means of it enticing the stray horse near
enough to enable him to take hold of the bridle. He then fastened him
behind the wagon, and putting Jemmy's two bags in, he turned round
and went back to carry Jemmy home, leaving Malleville and Phonny to
walk the rest of the way to Mary Erskine's. Besides their ride, they lost
the remainder of the story of Sligo, if that can be said to be lost which
never existed. For at the time when Beechnut paused in his narration,
he had told the story as far as he had invented it. He had not thought of
another word.
CHAPTER II.
THE BRIDE.
Mary Erskine was an orphan. Her mother died when she was about
twelve years old. Her father had died long before, and after her father's

death her mother was very poor, and lived in so secluded and solitary a
place, that Mary had no opportunity then to go to school. She began to
work too as soon as she was able to do any thing, and it was necessary
from that day forward for her to work all the time; and this would have
prevented her from going to school, if there had been one near. Thus
when her mother died, although she was an intelligent and very
sensible girl, she could neither read nor write a word. She told Mrs.
Bell the day that she went to live with her, that she did not even know
any of the letters, except the round one and the crooked one. The round
one she said she always knew, and as for S she learned that, because it
stood for Erskine. This shows how little she knew about spelling.
Mrs. Bell wanted Mary Erskine to help her in taking care of her own
daughter Mary, who was then an infant. As both the girls were named
Mary, the people of the family and the neighbors gradually fell into the
habit of calling each of them by her full name, in order to distinguish
them from each other. Thus the baby was never called Mary, but
always Mary Bell, and the little nursery maid was always known as
Mary Erskine.
Mary Erskine became a great favorite at Mrs. Bell's. She was of a very
light-hearted and joyous disposition, always contented and happy,
singing like a nightingale at her work all the day long, when she was
alone, and cheering and enlivening all around her by her buoyant spirits
when she was in company. When Mary Bell became old enough to run
about and play, Mary Erskine became her playmate and companion, as
well as her protector. There was no distinction of rank to separate them.
If Mary Bell had been as old as Mary Erskine and had had a younger
sister, her duties in the household would have been exactly the same as
Mary Erskine's were. In fact, Mary Erskine's position was altogether
that of an older sister, and strangers visiting, the family would have
supposed that the two girls were really sisters, had they not both been
named Mary.
Mary Erskine was about twelve years older than Mary Bell, so that
when Mary Bell began to go to school, which was when she was about
five years old, Mary Erskine was about seventeen. Mrs. Bell had

proposed, when Mary Erskine first came to her house, that she would
go to school and learn to read and write; but Mary had been very much
disinclined to do so. In connection with the amiableness and gentleness
of her character and her natural good sense, she had a great deal of
pride and independence of spirit; and she was very unwilling to go to
school--being, as she was, almost in her teens--and begin there to learn
her letters with the little children. Mrs. Bell ought to have required her
to go, notwithstanding her reluctance, or else to have made some other
proper arrangement for teaching her to read and write. Mrs. Bell was
aware of this in fact, and frequently resolved that she would do so. But
she postponed the performance of her resolution from month to month
and year to year, and finally it was not performed at all. Mary Erskine
was so very useful at home, that a convenient time for sparing her
never came. And then besides she was so kind, and so tractable, and so
intent upon complying with all Mrs. Bell's wishes, in every respect, that
Mrs. Bell was extremely averse to require any thing of her, which
would mortify her, or give her pain.
When Mary Erskine was about eighteen years old, she was walking
home one evening from