My Young Days | Page 2

drawing-room, and would she scold me if I was sent away for crying
and making a noise? But Uncle Hugh came to my rescue, threw away
his paper, and cuddled me up in his great strong arms almost like papa.
And he showed me his watch, and made it strike, and then began to
show me all kinds of wonders about the room: little tiny black men
under a glass case, small china monkeys, cats and frogs, and funny
shells and fishes, and snakes' skins, and lots of other things. And after
that we came back to the easy-chair, and he sang me sailors' songs, and
told me all about "The House that Jack built!"

[Illustration: THE CAT THAT WANTED THE GOOSE.]
"Little woman," he said at last, "did you ever hear of 'The Goose that
Jack killed?'" and then he sang in his funny way, "This is the goose that
Jack killed; and this is the cat that wanted the goose that Jack killed;
and this is the dog that chased the cat that wanted the goose that Jack
killed; and this is the thief that cheated the dog that chased the cat that
wanted the goose that Jack killed; and this is the dream that haunted the
thief that cheated the dog that chased the cat that wanted the goose that
Jack killed; and this"--
But "Good night, Uncle Hugh, there's Jane come to fetch Miss Sissy to
her tea, upstairs in the nursery."

II.
UNCLE HUGH'S STORY.
Yes, tea alone in the nursery, that strange room that looked as if it
hadn't been a nursery for a great many years, and was as queer and
awkward as an old woman trying to look young again. No clatter of
spoons to make baby laugh, no chatter of childish voices, only little me,
all alone with Jane--little me, so puzzled and strange and bewildered in
the new place! Perhaps Jane thought me dull, for she talked away fast
enough, about that dear old lady, my grandmamma, and about the
beautiful place we were in, and what if Master Bobbie should grow up
some day to find it all his own, and be the lord of it all. I didn't care
much if he did; I only wanted him now, little boy as he was, to put his
fat arms round my neck, for I was "little sister" to nobody here; it was
mere mockery calling me "Miss Sissy" all the time. Perhaps Jane heard
the sigh, for she stopped afterwards in the middle of her long story
about the little cousins from over the sea, that were coming here in a
day or two. She had me on her lap, and she was just taking off my
shoes and socks, but she drew my head to her shoulder, and told me
that I had "Janie-panie" with me, who was always going to take care of
me all the time. I was very tired, and my eyes went shut on the pillow

after that, before they had time to cry home-sick tears. And next day
there were so many new things to see; two little puppies to make
friends with, beside the parrot and pussy.
But I mustn't begin to tell you all the things that happened that day.
You see, I have made quite a long story of my first evening, so you
must try and fancy all about the walk in the park with Jane, and the
drive with Grandmamma to the town, and the toy-shop, and what we
bought there.
When we came home it was my tea-time; and after that Jane changed
my frock, and did my hair, and took me down to dessert, in the
dining-room. Ah, then the shy fit came on, and I bent my head very
gravely to take the sweet bits off Uncle Hugh's fork, I remember. But
when he had pushed back his chair, given his arm to grandmamma, and
his hand to me, and taken us into the drawing-room--then, while he
made me nestle down on his knee in the soft easy-chair, all my shyness
went away at the look of his merry eyes.
"Now for the goose that Jack killed," he said; and then and there began
the funniest story you ever heard. Only I can't tell it in the funny words
and with the merry, twinkling glances he gave me.
[Illustration: THE DOG THAT CHASED THE CAT.]
It was when Uncle Hugh was a middy, and he had been sailing in a
great big ship ever so long, till at last they came to some foreign
country, I don't know where. Well, Uncle Hugh and his friend Jack
Miller went roaming about, very glad to get off the sea. They took
possession of a little empty hut on