Prudy Keeping House

Prudy Keeping House, by Sophie
May

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Title: Prudy Keeping House
Author: Sophie May

Release Date: April 4, 2007 [eBook #20984]
Language: English
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Little Prudy's Flyaway Series.
PRUDY KEEPING HOUSE.
by
SOPHIE MAY.
Author of "Little Prudy Stories," "Dotty Dimple Stories," Etc.
Illustrated.

[Illustration: "O, WHAT A FASCINATING CREATURE!"]
[Illustration: LITTLE PRUDY'S FLYAWAY SERIES

"What is home without a mother?"

Boston 1891 Lee and Shepard Publishers 10 Milk Street next "The Old
South Meeting House" New York Chas. T. Dillingham 718 and 720
Broadway
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by Lee And
Shepard, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.

TO MY YOUNG FRIEND, BESSIE BAKER.

CONTENTS.
I. A QUEER IDEA II. PRIDE AND ORANGES III. BORROWED
JEWELS IV. GOING TO HOUSEKEEPING V. MOTHER
HUBBARD'S DINNER VI. PRUDY IN A NEW LIGHT VII. A FLY
IN TRINITY CHURCH VIII. DOTTY'S WINDPIPE IX. TWO LIVE
CHILDREN X. "RIDING ON JACK FROST" XI. THE JEWEL
CABINET XII. "FOLDED EYES"

PRUDY KEEPING HOUSE.
CHAPTER I.
A QUEER IDEA.
One of Mrs. Allen's bay windows stood open. Between the ivies,
tuberoses, and lilies, you caught a glimpse of gilded walls and rare
paintings. Better than all, you saw four young faces looking out at a
snow-storm; Dotty with eyes like living diamonds, Prudy fair and
sweet, Horace lordly and wise; and the little one "with dove's eyes"
following every motion of his head, as if she were a sunflower, and he
the sun.
"Please shut the window, quick, Horace; the plants will freeze," said
Prudy, drawing in her powdered head.
"Things don't freeze in cloudy weather, Prue; but you children will
catch cold; so here goes."
"O, Hollis, don't those snow-specks look like little bits o' birdies, athout
any wings or any feathers, too?"
"Droll birds they would be," said Aunt Madge. "That reminds me of an
old riddle, children,--
"'White bird featherless Flew out of Paradise, Lit on the castle wall;
Came a knight breathless, Ate it up toothless, Rode away horseless.'"

"Why, auntie, the 'bird featherless' must have been the snow; but who
was the knight!"
"Who rides over the sky without any horse, Dotty, and melts snow by
shining on it?"
"O, the sun--the sun!"
"Hollis, I want to ask you sumpin. Does those snow-specks fly down
out o' heaven? Does the little angels see 'em?"
"No, Topknot; they only come from the clouds; they are nowhere near
up to the little angels."
"Not half so near as you are, Goldilocks," said Aunt Madge, brushing
back the child's soft hair.
"I hope you don't mean Fly's going to die," cried Dotty, in sudden
alarm, remembering how crossly she had spoken to the child two or
three times since they had been in New York.
"No, Dotty; I only mean that we are told, in the Bible, there are
'ministering spirits,' and we believe they watch over good little
children."
"O, my shole!" said Fly, folding her tiny hands, and raising her eyes to
the top of the window. "Nice, pretty little spirricks out there, only but I
can't see 'em."
"No, Miss Eyebright; not even you. Wait till you go where they live."
"Wisht I could go up there now, a-visiting; stay all night, and three
weeks and then--"
"Hush, Fly Clifford; you're the wickedest girl to talk," said Dotty. "I
shouldn't ever expect to go to heaven at all, if I said such things as you
do.--O, auntie, I am so sorry it storms! Maria and her mother won't
come--will they?"

Maria Brooks was a little blind girl with whom the family were just
making acquaintance. A few days before, when she was walking
Broadway, led by her "freckled doggie," Fly, lost on the street, had
spied her, and been attracted by the dog, and Maria had persuaded the
child to go home with her. Afterwards Mrs. Brooks had taken Fly back
to Colonel Allen's; and in this way Aunt Madge had learned about
Maria's blindness, and had offered to take her to a physician who could
help her, if any one could.
"Yes, Dotty; I presume they will come to-day, for Maria can hardly
wait to