Across the Years
by
Eleanor H. Porter
Contents
- When Father and Mother Rebelled
- Jupiter Ann
- The Axminster Path
- Phineas and the Motor Car
- The Most Wonderful Woman
- The Price of a Pair of Shoes
- The Long Road
- A Couple of Capitalists
- In the Footsteps of Katy
- The Bridge Across the Years
- For Jimmy
- A Summons Home
- The Black Silk Gowns
- A Belated Honeymoon
- When Aunt Abby Waked Up
- Wristers for Three
- The Giving THanks of Cyrus and Huldah
- A New England Idol
The stories in this volume are here reprinted by thecourteouspermission of the publishers of the periodicals inwhich they firstappeared,--The Ladies’ Home Journal, Ainslee’sMagazine, The ScrapBook, The New England Magazine, The Pictorial Review,The Housewife,The Pacific Monthly, The Arena, Lippincott’sMagazine, Harper’s Bazaar,The Century Magazine, Woman, Holland’s Magazine,The Designer.
When Father and Mother Rebelled
“’Tain’t more ’n a month terChristmas, Lyddy Ann; did ye know it?” saidthe old man, settling back in his chair with a curiouslyresigned sigh.
“Yes, I know, Samuel,” returned his wife,sending a swift glance over the top of her glasses.
If Samuel Bertram noticed the glance he made no sign.“Hm!” he murmured. “I’ve gotten neckerchiefs now. How many crocheted bed-slippersyou got?--eh?”
“Oh, Samuel!” remonstrated Lydia Ann feebly.
“I don’t care,” asserted Samuelwith sudden vehemence, sitting erect in his chair.“Seems as if we might get somethin’ forChristmas ’sides slippers an’ neckerchiefs.Jest ’cause we ain’t so young as we oncewas ain’t no sign that we’ve lost allour faculty for enj’yment!”
“But, Samuel, they’re good an’ kind,an’ want ter give us somethin’,”faltered Lydia Ann; “and--”
“Yes, I know they’re good an’ kind,”cut in Samuel wrathfully. “We’ve got threechildren, an’ each one brings us a Christmaspresent ev’ry year. They’ve got so theydo it reg’lar now, jest the same as they--theygo ter bed ev’ry night,” he finished, gropinga little for his simile. “An’ they putjest about as much thought into it, too,” headded grimly.
“My grief an’ conscience, Samuel,--howcan you talk so!” gasped the little woman opposite.
“Well, they do,” persisted Samuel. “Theybuy a pair o’ slippers an’ a neckerchief,an’ tuck ’em into their bag for us--an’that’s done; an’ next year they do thesame--an’ it’s done again. Oh, I know I’mongrateful, an’ all that,” acknowledgedSamuel testily, “but I can’t help it.I’ve been jest ready to bile over ever sincelast Christmas, an’ now I have biled over. Looka-here, Lyddy Ann, we ain’t so awful old. You’reseventy-three an’ I’m seventy-six, an’we’re pert as sparrers, both of us. Don’twe live here by ourselves, an’ do most all thework inside an’ outside the house?”
“Yes,” nodded Lydia Ann timidly.
“Well, ain’t there somethin’ youcan think of