Black-Eyed Susan, Page 3

  CHAPTER III--MADAME BONNET'S SHOP

  Madame Bonnet's shop was so small that if you hadn't known it was thereyou might easily have walked past it and never seen it at all.

  It was one story high, with a low front door, and panes of glass in theone window so tiny that it was difficult to see the wares that MadameBonnet had for sale. But if you shut one eye and pressed the other closeto the glass, you were well repaid for your trouble, for Madame Bonnetkept a toy shop the like of which was not to be found anywhere, thoughyou traveled the world over in search of it.

  It was not that the shop was large, because it wasn't. It was not thatMadame Bonnet had many toys for sale, because she hadn't. But thechildren said you could buy at Madame Bonnet's what you couldn't buyanywhere else. And though the grown people sometimes stated, and perhapstruly, that Madame Bonnet hadn't bought a penny's worth of new stock intwenty-five years, the children were well satisfied, and no doubt thatis the true test of a toy shop, after all.

  "Oh, Phil," cried Susan, pressing one eye against the window, "do lookat the china doll carriage, and the little doll's lamp with a pink shadeand all, and that beautiful pair of vases that would just go on themantel in my doll's house. I mean if I had a doll's house," added Susantruthfully.

  But Phil, twisting and turning and almost standing on his head, wascalling out:

  "Look at the china boy rowing in the boat--with all his bundles, too.What do you think is in them, Susan? Do tell me. What is in that yellowstriped bundle? What do you think is in that one?"

  "Something for him to eat, I guess," said Susan sensibly. "Let's goinside and look around."

  Madame Bonnet was comfortably knitting in the rear of the shop, anddidn't think of getting up to wait upon her customers.

  "Well, Susan Whiting," said she, gazing at the children over herspectacles. "How do you do? Is your grandmother well? And so yourgrandfather is going to call by for you. I suppose he came in to theCourt-House on business. And this is the little boy who has come to livenext door to you, is it? Well, my dears, I hope you will find somethingyou like here. Just walk around, and if you want to know about anythingbring it to me. My knee has been so bad with rheumatism that I don't getup if I can help it."

  And Madame Bonnet returned to her knitting, apparently forgetting thechildren, who walked about on tiptoe eyeing the toys and handlingeverything within reach.

  Madame Bonnet had been born and brought up in the town of Green Valleyand had never journeyed farther away than fifty miles. People weresomewhat surprised, therefore, when, one fine day, the girl they hadalways known as Mary Bonnet had opened her little shop, and had raisedover the front door a sign which boldly read, "Madame Bonnet."

  "There is French blood in me somewhere, I'm sure," said she. "And Idon't see why I shouldn't call myself 'Madame,' if I like."

  And now that Madame Bonnet was an old lady with white hair andspectacles, most people had forgotten that she had ever borne any othername.

  "Phil," said Susan, standing entranced before a low shelf, "won't youcome and look at this doll?"

  In the center of a large square of cardboard was sewed a bisque doll,whose long flaxen braid hung over one shoulder and reached to the tipsof her dimpled toes. Surrounding her, also sewed on the card, was herwardrobe, consisting of a pink dress, a pink hat, and a pair of pink kidboots, a similar costume in blue, a Red Riding Hood cape, and a greensilk umbrella.

  Susan fairly held her breath before this vision of loveliness. But Philwas spellbound at the other end of the shop--and no wonder.

  In a long glass tube, full of water, was a little red imp, even to hornsand tail, and, instructed by Susan how to press upon the rubber top,Phil soon learned to make the imp execute a gay dance or move slowly upand down in his narrow, watery prison.

  "Come along," urged Susan, tugging at Phil's arm. "There are lots morethings to see. Look at this little piano. It has fourkeys--_tink-a-link-a-link_! And here's a swimming boy--how pretty heis!" And Susan carefully lifted the light little figure, who lay withrosy hands and feet outstretched all ready for a splash.

  "I like the animals."

  And Phil paused before a table laden with small trays on each of whichreposed a family of tiny bisque animals. There sat demure Mrs. Pussy andher five tortoise-shell kittens. Four timid little lambs huddled closeto the Mother Sheep as if asking protection from a herd of big grayelephants, who, in turn, trumpeted silently with upturned trunks, at thedisgrace of being placed next a placid family of black-and-white pigs.There were ducks and chickens, camels and donkeys, cows andhorses--sitting, standing, and lying side by side in a peaceful andunited frame of mind not often to be met with in this world.

  Phil carried a tray of fat snub-nosed little animals back to MadameBonnet to find out what they were.

  "Land sakes!" exclaimed Madame Bonnet. "Don't you know what they are?They're dogs, pug dogs. Didn't you ever see one? Susan, didn't you eversee a pug dog? Well, I don't know as they are as common as they used tobe. Ladies used to like them for pets." And Madame Bonnet shook her headover the way times had changed since she was a girl.

  The children wandered round and round, entranced afresh at each tableand shelf.

  There was a small wooden clock, like the timepiece in Susan's kitchen athome, whose pendulum swung gayly to and fro if only you helped it alittle with your finger. There were dolls' hats made by Madame Bonnetherself, that varied in style from a knitted tam-o'-shanter to a strangeturban-like affair with a jaunty chicken feather in the top. There wassheet after sheet of paper dolls that surely belonged to the days oflong ago, for the ladies wore their hair in a way that Grandmother wouldhave recognized as a waterfall, and the little girl dolls had drollpantalettes hanging below their skirts.

  There was a beautiful sawdust and china doll, whose wavy black chinahair was piled high upon her head, whose strapped china boots gracefullytook "first position" when she was held upright, and whose rosy lipssmiled sweetly in spite of the fact that her bright green silk dress wasneatly pasted on, so that it wouldn't come off, no matter what theemergency. Perhaps the fancy gilt paper trimming on dolly's frock kepther cheerful. Perhaps Susan's open admiration warmed her chilly littlechina heart and helped her to forget any discomfort she might suffer.

  At any rate, Susan passed reluctantly from her side to view the doll'sfurniture, and there she entered into such a delightful wilderness ofchairs, beds, tables, and sofas as would be difficult to describe.Parlor sets with red and blue velvet trimmings; bedroom sets quitecomplete, down to the cradle rocking comfortably away beside themother's big bed; rocking-chairs; baby's high chair; a bookcase filledwith tiny paper books; a stove with lids that really lifted off.

  "Oh, I can't go home!" cried Susan, when Grandfather opened the doorand, stooping low to save his head, came into the shop.

  "Five minutes more," said Grandfather, as he sat down for a little talkwith his old friend Madame Bonnet.

  "Oh, Phil, only five minutes more." And in that five minutes Susan flewaround like a distracted hen, making up her mind what her purchaseshould be.

  Phil had been absorbed for some time in a pile of paper books with gayred-and-white pictured covers, and he now came forward with hisselection. "The Story of Naughty Adolphus," read Grandfather, and gazedwith interest upon the picture of Adolphus, to whom "naughty" seemed amild word to apply. For not only was Adolphus dancing up and down in afit of temper, and all but striking his meek and shrinking little nursewho stood terror stricken close by; but it was very evident thatAdolphus refused to have his hair brushed, his face washed, or fingernails trimmed. All this the picture showed quite plainly, and innocentPhil gazed at it with a virtuous air, for, in his worst moments, he feltsure he had never even approached "Naughty Adolphus."

  "It looks interesting," announced Grandfather soberly. "I think you'vemade a good choice. Susan, are you ready?"

  "Look," murmured Susan, faint with admiration. "Look what I've found."

  It was a white china egg, and, lifting off the t
op, there lay a littledolly, as snug as could be.

  "It's beautiful," said Susan. And bold with gratitude, she stood ontiptoe and placed a kiss upon Madame Bonnet's wrinkled cheek.

  "Well!" said Madame Bonnet, taken aback for the moment, but liking itnevertheless. "If I had a good knee I'd step down cellar for a bottle ofmy raspberry vinegar to treat you all. How are your knees, Mr. Whiting?"

  "Young as a boy's," returned Grandfather, rubbing them as he spoke. "Buthere's Parson Drew. Suppose we let him step down. He doesn't know thathe has any knees."

  So Parson Drew, as fond as Susan of raspberry vinegar, obligingly"stepped down cellar," and brought up a tall rosy bottle the contents ofwhich, under Madame Bonnet's careful eye, he poured into thin littleglasses with a gold band about the top.

  "Well," said Grandfather, after he had actually turned the bottle upsidedown to prove to Susan and Phil that there was not a single drop left init, "I'm afraid the time has come for us to go."

  And after many good-byes and messages for Grandmother, the party movedtoward the door.

  Parson Drew led the way, and, as he opened the door, something fromoutside, with a clatter and clash, darted into the shop, whirled downthe aisle, and subsided with a jangle into a dark corner at the back ofthe store.

  Madame Bonnet, completely forgetting her bad knee, mounted her chair ina twinkling and stood holding her skirts about her feet, calling--

  "Help! Help! Help!"

  Susan, clutching tight to her eggshell baby, tried to climb up intoGrandfather's arms, while Phil, making himself as small as possible, hidunder a convenient table.

  Grandfather was peering into the dark corner where the clatteringobject, now silent and motionless, could be faintly seen.

  Suddenly Grandfather put back his head and laughed.

  "It's a cat," said he; "a poor forlorn little gray cat. And we were allafraid of a cat."

  He gave a second look, and then he spoke in a different tone.

  "Tut, tut, tut," said Grandfather, as if he were angry.

  He gently moved toward the trembling pussy, but before Madame Bonnetcould step down from her chair or Phil come out from under the table, infrom the street walked Mr. Drew, whom no one had missed until now. Heheld by the coat-collar a freckled, red-headed boy, and he was pushinghim along in no very gentle way.

  "This is the boy who did the deed," said Mr. Drew, and he sounded angryin the same way Grandfather did. "I thought I would catch him enjoyinghis fun if I stepped outside, and, sure enough, there he was, doubled upwith laughter and slapping himself on the knee at the joke. A finejoke," added Mr. Drew, giving the boy a little shake, "a finejoke--tormenting a poor cat."

  "The other boys were in it, too," whined the culprit, squirming, "onlythey ran away."

  "That doesn't excuse you," answered Mr. Drew sternly. "I have a notionto tie the tin can on you. 'It's only for a joke,' you know. That iswhat you told me."

  "No, no," whimpered the boy, jerking and twisting about. "Let me go.I'll give you five cents if you do. I'll give you ten cents if you letme go." And he pulled from his pocket a handful of coins and held themout on his grimy palm.

  "Is it yours?" asked Mr. Drew. "Is it your money?"

  The boy nodded.

  "Good!" said Mr. Drew. "Then I'll take it." And he coolly slipped thecoins into his pocket.

  "Now," said he to the boy, tightening his grip on his collar, "you comewith me, and we will spend this money on a treat for poor pussy. And youshall watch her enjoy it, too."

  When Mr. Drew returned with his unwilling companion, he found MadameBonnet composedly knitting in her chair, the rest of the group eyeingpussy, still motionless in her corner.

  "Now, Tim," said Parson Drew cheerfully, to his sulky, red-hairedfriend, "you shall have the pleasure of giving pussy the milk and thecat-meat which you bought for her with your money."

  Tim silently spread the feast and retreated a few steps.

  "Come, puss, puss," encouraged Madame Bonnet in her comfortable voice,"drink your milk."

  And pussy timidly put out her pink tongue and drank the milk thirstily.

  "You needn't be afraid to leave her to me," observed Madame Bonnet toGrandfather, who was looking at his watch. "I like a cat, when I knowit's a cat and not a whirlwind. I'll take off the can when she is moreused to me, and I'll keep her here a bit till I find her a home."

  Outside the shop, the party halted once more.

  "Don't play any more tricks like this, will you, Tim?" asked Mr. Drew."And shake hands."

  Tim nodded and thrust out his hard little hand. He grinned cheerfully upat Mr. Drew, and was off down the street, whistling shrilly between hisfingers as he ran.

  "When I get home," confided Susan in Grandfather's ear, as she sat onhis lap on the homeward ride, "I'm going to tell Snowball all about it,and about that bad boy, and then I guess she will be glad that she haslost her tail. Don't you?"