But my happiness did not last long.  Grandpa Harrington never thought of my parasol again from that day to the day he died; and little witch and try-patience though I was, I dared not remind him of his promise, still less tell my mother about it.

It was hard to have my hopes raised so high, only to be dashed to the ground; harder still to have to keep it all to myself, and see Fel trip along under that sunshade without a care in the world.  If she had been the least bit proud I couldn’t have borne it; but even as it was, it wore upon me.  Once I called out in severe tones, “Ho, little lie-girl; got a pairsol too!” but was so ashamed of it next minute that I ran up to her and hugged her right in the street, and said, “I didn’t mean the leastest thing.  I love you jus’ the same, if you have got a blue pairsol, and you may wear it to meetin’, and I’ll try not to care.”

And now I come to the naughty story.

I could not always have Fel for a playmate; she was too delicate to be racing about from morning till night as I did, and when she had to stay in the house, I found other girls to romp with me.  Sometimes, especially if I felt rather wicked, I enjoyed Eliza Jane Bean, a girl two or three years older than myself.  There was a bad fascination about “Lize.”  When she fixed her big black eyes upon you, she made you think of all sorts of delightful things you wanted to do, only they were strictly forbidden.  Her father and mother were not very good people, and did not go to church Sundays.  They lived in a low red house near the Gordons.  You never saw it, children; it was pulled down ever so long ago, and used for kindlings.  People called the house “the Bean Pod,” because there were nine little beans in it beside the big ones.  Rattlety bang!  Harum scarum!  There was always a great noise in that house, and people called it “the rattling of the beans.”  It was well it stood on a corner lot, and poor old Mr. Gordon was so deaf.

Lize Jane used to come to our house for currants.  My mamma did not like to have me see much of her, but could not refuse the currants, for our bushes were loaded.  It seemed as if the family must have lived half the summer on currants and molasses; for almost every night there was Lize Jane with her big tin pail.  It had holes in the bottom, and the juice used to run out sometimes upon her dress; but it didn’t make much difference, for her dress was never clean.

One night she came for currants when they were almost gone.  Mother had been sick, and was very late about making jelly.  She told Eliza Jane she couldn’t let her come any more after that night; the rest of the fruit must be saved for our own use.  Lize Jane said nothing, but she rolled her black eyes round towards me, and I felt a little ashamed, for I knew she thought mother was stingy, and that was why she rolled her eyes.

I went into the kitchen, and said to Ruth, ­

“Don’t you want me to pick you a bowl of currants?”

Of course she did.  She didn’t know Lize Jane was there, or she wouldn’t have been so pleased and so ready to get me my sun-bonnet.  She had to reach it down from a hook in the ceiling.  That was the place where Ned hung it when he wanted to “pester” me; he did it with an old rake handle.

When I was going anywhere to meet Lize Jane, I always felt as if I was stealing raisins.  I never exactly stole raisins; but when my mother said I might go to the box and get two or three, I had sometimes taken a whole handful.  I knew by the pricking of my conscience that that was wrong, and in the same way I knew that this was wrong too.  Mother was in the green chamber, covering an ottoman with green carpeting, so she wouldn’t see me from that side of the house.

I ran into the garden, and, going up close to Lize Jane, began to pick with all my might.  “My bowl fills up faster ’n your pail,” said I.  “Cause its littler,” said she; “and besides, I’m picking ’em off the stems.”

“What do you do that for, Lize Jane?  It takes so long.”

“I know it; it takes foreverlastin’; but mother told me to, so’st I could get more into my pail.”

I opened my eyes.

“She told me to get my pail chuck full.  She didn’t use to care, but now the currants are most gone, and she wants all she can get.”

I said nothing, but I remember I thought Mrs. Bean was a queer woman, to want our very last currants.

“Sh’an’t you have your party before they’re all gone?” said Lize Jane.

“What party?”

“Why, the one you’re going to have.”

I suppose she knew my heart was aching for one.

“I want a party dreffully,” said I, “but mamma won’t let me.”

“Won’t let you?” cried Lize Jane, in surprise.  “Why, Fel Allen had hers last week.”

“I know it, and Tempy Ann made us some lemonade.”

“Did she?  I wish I’d been there,” said Lize, pursing her lips.  “But Fel lives in such a monstrous nice house, and wouldn’t ask me to her party; that’s why.  Mother says I hadn’t oughter care, though, for when she dies she’ll lay as low as me.”

I did not understand this speech of Mrs. Bean’s, which Lize Jane repeated with such a solemn snap of her black eyes; but it came to me years afterwards, and I think it the worst teaching a mother could give her little child.  No wonder Lize Jane was full of envy and spite.

“But you’ll ask me to your party, won’t you?” said she, with a coaxing smile.

“I can’t, if I don’t have one, Lize Jane.”

“You’re a-makin’ believe, Mag Parlin.  You will have one; how can you help it, with a garden full of gooseb’ries and rubub?”

“And thimbleberries, too,” added I, surveying the premises with a gloomy eye.  We certainly had enough to eat, and it was a very strange thing that I couldn’t give a party.

“Has your mother got any cake in the house?” added Lize.

“Yes, lots in the tin chest; but she never lets me eat a speck, hardly,” bemoaned I. I was not in the habit of talking to Lize Jane of family matters; but she had shown so much good sense in saying I ought to have a party, that my heart was touched.

“Your mother, seems to me, she never lets you do a thing,” returned Lize Jane, in a pitying tone.  “Ain’t you goin’ to have a silk pairsol, like Fel Allen’s?  I should think you might.”

She had driven the nail straight to the mark that time.  I could have wailed; but was I going to have Lize Jane go home and tell that I was a baby?  No! and I spoke up very pertly, ­

“Where’s your pairsol, Lize Jane Bean?  You never had one any more ’n me.”

“No; but there’s something I have got, though, better than that.  Good to eat, too.  And I’ll tell you what; if you’ll ask me to your party, I’ll bring you some in a covered dish.”

“What is it, Lize?  Ice cream?”

For her face was wondrous sweet.

“Ice cream!  How’d you s’pose I kep’ that froze?  No!” and the bewitching sparkle of her eye called up luscious ideas.  I could almost see apricot preserves, pine apples, and honey-heart cherries floating in the air.  But why was it a covered dish?  “Somethin’ nuff sight better ’n ice cream, but I shan’t tell what.”

“O, I wish you’d bring it to me in the covered dish, ’thout any party, for my mother won’t let me have one, Lize, now truly.”

“Then you can’t have the ­what I was goin’ to bring,” said Lize Jane, firmly.

“That’s too bad,” I cried; but it was of no use talking; she couldn’t be moved any more than the gravel walk, or the asparagus bed.

“Your mother ain’t much sick, is she?”

“Not now,” replied I; “her strength is better.”

“Well, then, why don’t you ask some girls to come, and she’ll get ’em some supper; see if she don’t.”

I was so shocked that I almost fell into a currant bush.

“Lize Jane Bean, what you talking about?”

“Why, you said your mother warn’t sick.”

“No, her strength is better, but she don’t ’low me to do things, Lize Jane Bean, ’thout ­’thout she lets me.”

“Of course not; but I guess she don’t know you want a party so dreadful bad, Maggie, or she would let you.  I don’t believe your mother is ugly.”

“But she never said I might have a party, though.”

“No, for she don’t think about it.  She ain’t a bad woman, your mother ain’t, only she don’t think.  Your mother don’t mean to be ugly.”

Lize Jane spoke in a large-hearted way, at the same time stripping currant-stems very industriously.  “She’d feel glad afterwards, s’posing you did have a party, I’ll bet.”

“O, Lize Jane, what a girl! ’s if I’d do it ’thout my mother said I might.”

“O, I didn’t mean a real big party; did you s’pose I did?  I didn’t know but you could ask me and some of the girls to supper, and not call it a party.  We’d play où’ doors.”

“O, I didn’t know that’s what you meant.  But I can’t, ­’cause, ­’cause.” ­

“Well, you needn’t, if you don’t want to; but I didn’t know but you’d like to see that ­what I’s going to bring.”

“But I can’t be naughty, and get tied to the bed-post,” said I, thoughtfully.  “Is that what you’s going to bring, something I never saw in all my life, Lize Jane?”

“Yes, I’m certain sure you never.”

And she made up another delicious face, that filled the air around with sweet visions.

“And would you bring it if I didn’t ask but ­but ­two girls?”

“No, I don’t think I could,” replied Lize Jane, squinting her eyes in deep meditation.  “I don’t hardly think I could; but if you had four girls I’d bring it, and risk it.”

“Four ’thout you?”

“No, me ’n three more, if you’re so dreadful scared.”

That settled the matter.  With my usual rashness I cried out, ­

“Well, I’ll ask ’em.”