Adventure of a Kite, Page 3

  The Little Milk-maid.

  There was once a little Milk-maid, who lived at a farm-house. Hername was Sally. On the summer mornings she used to be up anddressed at five o'clock. Then she took her bright milk-pail onher head, and her three-legged stool in her hand, and called herlittle dog Trusty, and tripped over the dewy grass to the stilethat led to the field where the cows fed. The wild thyme gave outa sweet scent as she walked along; and the green leaves glistenedin the sun, for the dew was still on them; and the lark flew uphigh, and his song came pouring down over her head. When she gotto the stile, she saw all the four cows quite at the other sideof the field. One was called Dapple, one Brindle, one Frisky, andone Maggie. They saw her get over the stile, but never stirred astep towards her. Dapple looked up for a moment, and then beganeating again; Brindle did not seem to mind her; Maggie was lyingdown, and did not move; and Frisky lashed her tail and shook herhead, and went on eating.

  "O, this will never do!" said Sally. "Trusty, Trusty! go andbring me Dapple."

  Dapple was brown all over, except a white face and tail. Trustyran behind Dapple, and barked two or three times, just to tellher to move on. And she began to walk slowly and gravely towardsSally. Then Sally put down her little three-legged stool, and satdown by Dapple and milked her. When she had done, she gave her apat, and said, "Now you may go." Then Dapple began to eat again.

  "Now, Trusty," said Sally, "go and bring me Brindle." Brindle wasall white. Trusty ran up to her, and she began to walk on; butwhen she had got to the middle of the field, she stopped to eat,and Trusty was obliged to bark pretty sharply, and tell her itwas shameful of her. Then she went on and was milked.

  Sally next sent Trusty to bring Frisky. She was brown and white,prettily spotted; but she was sometimes quite naughty when shewas milked, and this time she seemed to mean to be so; for, assoon as Trusty got up to her, she set off and galloped up toSally. Then, just as Sally began to milk her, she walked on, andleft her and her stool behind, and very nearly knocked the pailover besides. So Sally had to get up, and move stool and pailonwards, and then she said, "Stand still, Frisky," and strokedand patted her. So she stood still, and was very good.

  "Now, Trusty, bring pretty Maggie," said Sally. Maggie was blackand white, and very gentle and pretty. She came directly, andstood quite still, and was milked. Then they were all done.

  Sally now lifted the pail, which was quite full, on her head, andcarried it so firmly and steadily, that she had not to put herhand up to it, not even when she got over the stile, and in thisway she walked along back to the farm.

  Then she went into the cool, fresh dairy, and Trusty lay down atthe door. The dairy had a stone shelf all round it, with shallowround pans ranged along it, all filled with sweet, rich milk,covered with thick, yellow cream. Here she took down her pail;and first she filled a large jug with the new milk for breakfast.She then poured all the rest into two or three pans, like theothers on the shelf. Next, she took a flat wooden spoon, andskimmed the cream off several of the others, and poured it allinto a square wooden machine, called a churn. It had a handlewhich turned round. She threw in some salt, and then began toturn the handle round and round, and it turned a wheel inside,and the wheel beat and splashed the cream round and round in thechurn. Presently she looked in, and said, "It's not come yet."Then she turned the handle round again for some time. At last,when she looked in, there was a large lump of fine fresh butter,and all about it a thin white liquid, called butter-milk, and allthe cream was gone. She took out the butter, and put it into abowl of cold spring water, and made it up into three large rollswith two flat wooden knives. Next she cut off three or fourslices, made them up into nice little rounds, and pressed themwith a wooden stamp, with a rose-bud and leaves cut out upon it,and when she took it off, there were the rose-bud and leavesmarked on the butter.

  Then Sally poured all the butter-milk, and all the milk fromwhich she had skimmed the cream, into a clean wooden pail, andstirred in some barley meal, and carried it off to the pig-sty.She stood outside the paling of the pigs' little yard, andcalled, "Pig--pig--pig!" and out came the pigs from their sty,little and big, grunting and squeaking and scrambling, andtumbling over one another. Then she poured all her pailful intothe pigs' trough, and then they began squeaking and grunting andscrambling more than ever, and put their long noses in, some ofthem up to their eyes, and some got their feet in, and all ofthem gobbled it up as fast as they possibly could.

  After Sally had fed the pigs, she took out some corn, and went tothe poultry yard, and called, "Chuck--chuck--chuck!" and then thecocks and hens, and ducks and geese, came running round her,crowing and clucking, and quacking, and cackling, and the pigeonsflew down and helped to eat, and all of them pecked up the corn,as fast as they could. In the afternoon they had boiled potatoesand sopped bread and vegetables, and curd, too, if Sally had beenmaking whey.

  When Sally had done all this, she went back into her room, andopened the bed curtains; and there was lying a little rosy-cheekedgirl with light curly hair. And when Sally looked at her, sheopened two large blue eyes, and held out her arms, and Sally kissedher, and said, "Are you ready to get up, little Annie?" And shesaid, "Yes." This was Sally's little sister, that her kindmistress let her have with her to love and take care of.

  Then Sally took up little Annie, and got a large brown pan forher bath, and stood her in it, and brought a jug of fresh coldwater to pour over her.

  Little Annie stood very still, but when the water was coming, sheheld up her hands and said, "Will it be cold?"

  "O, no!" said Sally; "it's a beautiful warm morning." Then shewashed and dressed little Annie, and afterwards they had theirbreakfast together in a nice comfortable kitchen. Sally had agood appetite after having been so busy, and little Annie had alarge basin of boiled bread and milk, and she always gave some toTrusty. This was the end of the little Milk-maid's morningwork.

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  THE ROSE-BUD STORIES.

  GOING TO THE COTTAGE.

  EGGS AND CHICKENS.

  THE GOAT AND HER KID.

  BERTHA AND THE BIRD.

  THE DUCK HOUSE.

  MAY DAY AT THE COTTAGE.

  ADVENTURE OF A KITE.

  A DAY IN THE WOODS.

  THE PET LAMB.

  TWO DEAR FRIENDS.

  LITTLE AMY'S BIRTHDAY.

  CHRISTMAS EVE AT THE COTTAGE.

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