The Story of Jessie | Page 9

she
spoke in almost a dismayed tone, and Jessie, with her loving little heart
and quick ears, noticed it and was hurt. It sounded to her as though her
granny did not want her mother; and her chin quivered and her eyes
filled, for she wanted her mother very much, and every one else should
want her too, she thought.
Her grandfather saw the poor little quivering lips and tear-filled eyes,
and understood. "The rose may be past," he said cheerfully, "for the
time, any way, but we'll have flowers of some kind ready for mother
whenever she comes. 'Tis you and I, little maid, will see to that, won't
we? We must make it our business to have something blooming all the
year round, then we'll be sure to be right."
Jessie looked up at him gratefully, and the tears changed to smiles.
Something told her that granp would be glad to see mother whenever
she came. The thought of growing flowers for her was a lovely one, too;
it seemed to bring her mother nearer; and, though granny and granp
were so kind, oh, she did want her so very, very much. She wanted her
to see the garden and the house, and the kitten, and to have bacon and
eggs for breakfast, and milk in her tea, and nice butter on her bread.

Then, in the midst of these thoughts, something that granny was saying
caught her attention, and, for the moment, drove all other thoughts out
of her head.
"I've been thinking I'd better go into Norton this afternoon, and do
some shopping," she remarked to granp, "for the child must have some
clothes, and as soon as possible, too; and I reckon I'd better take her
with me, though she really isn't fit, her boots and her hat are so shabby;
but it'll be better to have her there to be fitted, especially the first time."
"Oh, she doesn't look so bad," answered granp cheerfully. "If she keeps
smiling at folks they won't notice her hat nor her boots neither."
Granny was not so sure of that. Her pride was a little hurt at the thought
of taking such a shabbily-clad little granddaughter into the shops where
she was well known. However, hats and boots required to be tried on,
so there was nothing for it but to make the best of things, and Jessie
was to be taken to Norton.
What a day of wonders that was to Jessie! It seemed almost as though
there were too many good things crowded into one twenty-four hours.
As soon as it was decided that they were to go, her grandfather went off
and borrowed Mrs. Maddock's donkey and the little cart, to drive them
in, for Norton was more than a mile and a half away, and that was too
far, they thought, for Jessie's little feet to walk. So the cart was brought,
and granny and grandfather sat on the little wooden seat, while Jessie
sat on a rug in the bottom of the cart, at their feet. She liked it better
there, she thought, for there was no fear of her falling out, and she
could look all about her and feel quite safe and comfortable all the time.
Granp gave her the whip to hold, but she had no work to do, for Moses,
the donkey, behaved so well, he never once needed it all the way to
Norton.
Jessie was very glad, for she could not bear to think of anything being
punished on such a lovely afternoon. The birds were singing, the
hedges were covered with little green leaves, just bursting forth. Here
and there a blackthorn bush was in full flower, and filled Jessie with

delight. She sat very quiet, looking about her with a serious happy face,
drinking it all in, and evidently thinking deeply. Her grandfather
watched her with the keenest interest.
"I reckon it looks funny to you, don't it, little maid, after all the streets
and houses and bustle you've been accustomed to?" he asked at last.
Jessie nodded. "There's such lots of room, and no peoples," she said
soberly, "and at home there was such lots of peoples and no room.
Where are they all gone, granp?"
"Gone to London, I reckon," answered granp, with a laugh. "You'll find
it quiet, and you'll miss the shops, little maid."
"Shops!" said granny indignantly; "we shall be in Norton in a little
while now, and there's shops enough there to satisfy any one, I should
hope."
But when they reached the little town, and Jessie was lifted down from
the cart, and put to stand in the street while granny dismounted, she
looked about her, wondering greatly where the shops could be. There
did not seem to be many