Jewel's Story Book Part 38

"Oh, have you an aquarium?" asked Faith with interest.

"Yes, a fine one. It has gold and silver fish and a number of little water creatures, and a grotto with plants growing around it."

"How lovely it must be," said Faith, and Gladys saw her press her lips to the baby prince's polished back.

"She's an awfully selfish girl," thought Gladys. "I wouldn't treat company so for anything!"

"You'll see the aquarium Faith and I have," said Ernest. "It's only a tub, but we get a good deal of fun out of it. It's our stable, too, you see. Did you notice we caught one of our old horses to-day? Let's see him, Faith,"

and Ernest poked among the turtles and brought out one with a little hole made carefully in the edge of his sh.e.l.l.

"It seems very cruel to me," said Gladys, with a superior air.

"Oh, it isn't," returned Faith eagerly. "We'd rather hurt each other than the turtles, wouldn't we, Ernest?"

"I guess so," responded the boy, rather gruffly. He didn't wish Gladys to think him too good.

"It doesn't hurt them a bit," went on Faith, "but you know turtles are lazy. They're all relations of the tortoise that raced with the hare in aesop's fable." Her eyes sparkled at Gladys, who smiled slightly. "And they aren't very fond of being horses, so we only keep them a day or two and then let them go back into the brook. I think that's about as much fun as anything, don't you, Ernest?"

"Oh, I don't know," responded her brother, who was beginning to feel that all this turtle business was a rather youthful pastime for a member of a baseball team.

"You see," went on Faith, "we put the turtles on the gra.s.s only a foot or two away from the brook, and wait."

"And we do have to wait," added Ernest, "for they always retire within themselves and pull down the blind, as soon as we start off with them anywhere."

"But we press a little on their backs," said Faith, "and then they put out their noses, and when they smell the brook they begin to travel. It's such fun to see them dive in, _ker-chug_! Then they scurry around and burrow in the mud, getting away from us, just as if we weren't willing they should.

They are pretty silly, I must say," laughed Faith, "and it's the hardest thing to make them understand that you love them; but," her tone changed tenderly as she held up the baby prince, "_you'll_ know I love you, won't you, dear, when I give you tiny little pieces of meat every day!"

The cloud on Gladys's face deepened.

"Come on, let's hustle and put the turtles away and go for a row. Do you like to row, Gladys?" asked Ernest.

"Yes, I guess so," she responded, rather coldly.

They ran up the hill to the side of the house where was a shallow tub of water with a rock in the middle, its top high and dry. There was also a floating s.h.i.+ngle; so the steeds could swim or sun themselves just as suited their fancy. The upper edge of the tub was covered with tin so that sharp little claws could not find a way to climb out.

"It's fun to see them go in," said Faith, placing one on the rock and one on the s.h.i.+ngle, where they rested at first without sign of life; but in a minute out came head and legs and, spurning the perches with their strong feet, plump the turtles went into the water and to the bottom, evidently convinced that they were outwitting their captors.

"Don't you want to choose one special one for yours, Gladys? It's fun to name them," said Faith.

The visitor hesitated only a moment. "I choose the baby, then," she said.

"You know I'm afraid of the big ones."

Ernest thought she was joking. It did not occur to him that any one who had seen Faith's happiness in finding the prince could seriously think of taking it from her.

"Yes," he laughed, "I guess you and I won't get a chance at that one, Gladys."

Faith's expression changed and her eyes grew thoughtful. "Hurry up, girls," continued Ernest, "come on, we won't have very much time."

So the turtles, prince and all, were left disporting themselves in the tub, and the trio went down to the pond, where Ernest untied his boat. Faith jumped in, but Gladys timorously placed her little foot upon the unsteady gunwale, and the children had to help her into the boat as they had done over the wall.

"I wish I'd brought Vera," she said when she was seated and Ernest was pus.h.i.+ng the boat off.

"Next time we will," replied Faith.

"I don't see why Ernest couldn't go back for her now," said Gladys. "I'm not used to walking so much and I'm too tired to go myself."

"You want me to run up the hill after a _doll_!" asked the boy, laughing.

He began to believe his pretty cousin was very fond of joking. "Something might happen to her before you saw her," he added mischievously.

The pond was a charming sheet of water. Trees lined its edges in summer, and it was a great place for sport in winter. Faith and Ernest chattered to their cousin of all the coasting and skating, and their bright faces and jolly stories only increased the uncomfortable feeling that Gladys had allowed to slip into her heart.

Her cousins had more fun than she did. It wasn't fair. She had no eyes for the pretty scenery about her, as Ernest's strong arms sent the boat flying along. Faith noticed her changed looks and for the first time wondered how it was going to seem to have Gladys to take care of for--they couldn't tell how long; but she only tried the harder to bring back the bright look her cousin had worn at dinner time.

In a few minutes Gladys began to rock the boat from side to side.

"Don't do that, please," said Ernest.

There was a tone of command in his voice, and the spoiled child only rocked the harder.

"None of that, I tell you, Gladys," he said sharply.

"Please don't," added Faith.

But the error that Gladys had let creep in was enjoying her cousin's anxiety, and she smiled teasingly as she went on rocking. She had condescended to come out to the farm, and she would let these country children see if they could order her about.

Ernest said no more, but he promptly turned the boat around and pulled for the sh.o.r.e.

"What are you doing?" asked Gladys.

"Going ash.o.r.e."

"I don't want to," she exclaimed, her cheeks flus.h.i.+ng. "I want to go up there." She pointed to a spot in the distance. "I want to go around that corner and see what there is there."

"Not to-day," replied Ernest, pulling st.u.r.dily.

We won't look into Gladys's heart and see what went on there then, because it is too unpleasant.

"You see we're the crew," said Faith, a little scared by her cousin's flas.h.i.+ng eyes and crimson cheeks. "We have to do what Ernest says. He knows a lot about boats, Gladys, and it _is_ dangerous to rock. The pond is real deep."

"I shall come out in the boat alone, then," declared Gladys.

"Oh, no, you won't," remarked Ernest, smiling. "People that rock boats need a keeper."

Faith's eyes besought him, "I'll take you out to-morrow if you'll promise to sit still," he went on; "but if anything happened to the boat, you see I couldn't save both of you, and I'd be likely to try to save Faith; so you'd better go ash.o.r.e now and think it over."

Gladys stared at him in utter amazement that any one could speak to her so.

Why had she ever come to the farm!

However, she quickly put on a little air of indifference and only said:--