 A Real New England Girl by Anna I. Parsons 1. The Shower 2. Oxford County 3. The Stranger and the Girl 4. The Youth and the Girl 5. Pansy and Richard Go Trading 6. The Marvelous Storyteller 7. The Dinner 8. The The Minister Comes for Tea 9. Pansy's Father 10. Pansy and Her Mother 11. Poland Springs 12. The Birthday Cake 13. Ned Patterson Comes for a Visit 14. The Blue Berrying Party 15. The Beginning of Wisdom 16. The Tempted and the Penitent 17. The Concert 18. Stanley's Ride 19. The Bench by the Wayside 20. The Banker and the Widow 21. The Bag of Nuts 22. How They Kept Thanksgiving at Little Farm 23. Hardly a Merry Christimas 24. A Call Down and a Caller 25. The Pride of Mrs. Bradford 26. A Happy New Year 27. Amusement and Winter Sport 28. Kim 29. Richard, the Lion Hearted 30. A Tour of the White Mountains 31. Talking Over the Trip with Henry Bright 32. Thoughts That Lie Too Deep for Words 33. Economics 34. His Toast 35. The Busy Haunts of Man 36. Christmas in New York 37. The Last Night of Their Visit 38. The Language Understood by All 39. Sugaring Off 40. Correspondence 41. Commencement 42. Conclusion Afterward     |
Richard the Lion Hearted "When gratitude o'erflows the swelling heart, And breaths in free and uncorrupted praise For benefits receiv'd: propitious Heaven Takes such acknowledgment as fragrant incense, and doubles all its blessings." It was nearly ten o'clock at night, an hour at which most farm folks are soundly sleeping, but Richard Bradford lay quietly on the outside of his bed with his clothing on, except that he had removed his shoes. Without making a sound, he slipped off the bed, took his shoes in his hand, and crept softly down the stairway and out into the woodshed. After putting on his shoes, he took from its rack the little rifle with which he hunted woodchucks and other farm pests, and walked over the highway and down the cow lane. There he wandered about as if in search of game, but occasionally stopped by a fir tree, of which there were many scattered about the pasture, and listened, always keeping in view the north and west. The night was warm and not extremely dark, although the moon was young and hung like a silver crescent near the western horizon. No sound was abroad save that made by the cricket and tree toad. After some waiting and careful listening, Richard made his way cautiously from tree to tree until he had definitely ascertained that five men were approaching from the northwest, and then he walked boldly in a direction that would intercept theirs. "Watcha lookin' for, kid, this hour of the night?" asked one of the men when Richard was within speaking distance. "I'm looking for coons. What are you fellows looking for?" "That's none of your d_________ business," said one of the men. "Well, you'll find the highway by going over to that stone wall and then keeping directly east. It won't take you more'n five minutes to reach it if you walk spry. "Who might you be to gin us directions 'thout the asking?" "I'm Richard Bradford, and my mother owns this farm. Anything else you'd like to know?" "Yep, whatcha goin' to do if we don't find that highway you mentioned a minute ago?" "I'm going to see that you do find it." The men retired a short distance and held parley, and again approached Richard. "Say, youngster, be a good sport and come along with us. We only want to have a little fun." "I know all about the fun you intend having. If you'd been honorable enough to ask permission, you'd have gotten it, but you can't come around here and do as you please." Richard had hardly finished speaking when one of the men who had circled about among the trees and come up behind him, suddenly seized hold of the barrel of his rifle with so much force that it threw Richard over backwards so that his head struck on a rock and he lay stunned to unconsciousness. When Richard did not get up, one of the men came and bent over his prostrate form. "Now, see whatcha done?" he said. "Mebbe the kid's killed and we'll all be held for manslaughter." Again there was a parley as to what had best be done, but the point was quickly settled when one of them, suddenly turning his head, exclaimed, "Beat it, fellers, beat it! Here comes a man with a dawg!" Without more ado, the men left the unconscious boy, and made a hasty retreat into the woods. Pansy soundly sleeping in her big white bed was half awakened by something damp and crawly striking her in the face. Involuntarily, she put up her hand and brushed away a thick wad of grass. The act awakened her. She sat up in bed, and as she did so, she distinctly heard her name called from the outside. Stanley stood below. "Something has happened to Richard, Pansy. Come down quickly!" Something has happened to Richard! She could not believe her ears. Before she put out her own light, she had looked across the long chamber, and seen that Richard's light was out and knew that he was in bed. She gripped her bureau for an instant, then slipped on a dress and went bare footed down stairs and out of the front door. Stanley met her. "Richard has been hurt in some way," he said. "I found him down in the pasture unconscious and brought him up here. He is on the pump platform. His heart is beating, but I can't bring him to." Pansy went around the corner of the house and looked at Richard. He lay rigid on the pump platform where Stanley had placed him, his shirt was open at the neck, his hair was drenched with water which Stanley had poured over his face in a vain endeavor to bring him to consciousness. She lay her hand on is head for a moment and placed her ear close to his heart. "I'll have to call mother and Ruth." She hastily entered the house again. In a few minutes all the household were astir. Richard was taken in a placed on the bed his mother had so hastily vacated. Ruth, assisted by the others, exerted all her skill in rendering first aid, but fifteen minutes elapsed and Richard had not returned to consciousness. Pansy stood at the foot of the bed as white as Richard himself, but doing everything she was told to do with carefulness and celerity. Stanley had disappeared, but returned somewhat out of breath and joined her. "I've telephoned for a doctor and he said he would be here in twenty minutes and father and Jerry will be right up. They stopped to get out the car." A minute later, the tall form of the banker came striding into the room. He did not stop to ask any questions, but quickly felt Richard's pulse, examined the wound on the back of his head, and then took him up in his arms and held him perpendicularly so that his head was downwards. Some minutes elapsed so tense that the watchers almost held their breath and the drop of a pin could have been distinctly heard. The drastic remedy applied at last proved efficacious, and Richard slowly opened his eyes. Mr. Winthrop placed him again on the bed and worked his arms gently up and down to increase the circulation. "Richard, what happened?" asked his mother at length. "The bee tree," murmured Richard. "The bee tree!" repeated Mrs. Bradford. "What does he mean?" No one could answer, but Stanley offered a suggestion. "When I was in the village this afternoon, a boy asked me to deliver a note to Richard which I did when I passed the barn about six o'clock. He read it and put it in his trousers' pocket. Perhaps that will throw some light on the matter." Mrs. Bradford felt in Richard's pocket and drew out a crumpled piece of paper and read: Friend Richard:- Some fellows in Norway have found out there's a bee tree in your pasture, and they're coming up tonight to get the honey. They'll be there about ten o'clock. -- Phil "So it was a bee tree Richard went out to protect. Who'd ever think my baby would do such a thing," said Mrs. Bradford. "He knew we would never let him go if he told us about it," said Ruth. "Some of the factory men have the reputation of drinking badly, and it would be foolhardy to attempt to thwart them when under the influence of liquor." "They didn't show much resistance when Kim put in an appearance," said Stanley. A honk, honk outside announced the arrival of a car, and the doctor came in with his medicine chest in his hand. After carefully examining the wound on the back of Richard's head, he ordered all out of the room except Mr. Winthrop, and then set about taking the stitches necessary to draw the wounded scalp together. With the care of Richard shifted to professional shoulders, Pansy's poise quite left her, and while waiting in the living room for the doctor to dress the wound, she sat in Ruth's lap with her head on her shoulder crying softly. Mrs. Bradford, Mr. Alden, and Jerry Pike were all seated about the room. "How did you come to find him?" asked Ruth of Stanley, who sat on the settee near her and with one hand gently stroked Pansy's brown locks. "Why, Kim and I thought we would walk up to the half-way tree just to see if the lights were out up here. When we got there, Kim refused to go back home, and jumped over the stone wall into the clover piece. I thought he scented game and followed him. When we got into the cow pasture, I saw five men bending over some object, but they made a hasty get-away when they saw Kim and I in the distance. Kim ran over to the place where I first saw the men and set up such a howling, I knew something must be the matter, and went over there and found Richard with his head on a rock and his rifle lying a short distance off on the ground. I tried to arouse him, but it was no use, so I took him on my back and brought him up to the house." "You will have to keep that boy quiet for a few days," said the doctor to Mrs. Bradford, as he and Mr. Winthrop joined the others in the living room. "He's going to have a pretty sore head for a week, but he'll pull through all right. I will be up to see him again tomorrow." He turned toward the door, but caught sight of Pansy's tear-stained face as she stood by Ruth drinking in every word he said, and went over and put his big hand under her chin. "Do you want me to take you in hand again? I shall if you don't show a better face than this tomorrow." "Doctor," she said, reaching up and clasping her hands around his sleeve, "You will make Richard well again, won't you?" "I'll have him so he can fight any pugilist in the country inside of a week. And I guess he'd like to do it, too," added the doctor with a chuckle as he went toward the door. "There's a lot of pep in that youngster if he does have to submit to petticoat rule." When Mr. Winthrop and Stanley took leave, Pansy followed them to the door. Kim was waiting just outside. "I think you ought to shake hands with Kim now, Pansy," said Stanley, "for he deserves the whole credit for finding Richard." "You dear, old hideous thing," said Pansy, stepping outside and patting the dog. "I shall never laugh at you again." Stanley started to walk to where his father and Jerry were waiting in the car, but she called him back. "Stanley," she said, taking hold of the revers of his coat and pulling him down until he felt her warm breath on his face, "I shall remember what you have done for us tonight forever and forever -- and afterwards," and she gave him as warm a kiss as ever grateful maiden bestowed on youthful hero. Click Here for Chapter 30 |