Hoaryhead and M'Donner Author:Jacob Abbott Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Fergus goes in at the back door. Mother Conny. tions were necessary, for Mother Uonny's ideas of tidiness seemed to grow more rigid as she grew old, and sh... more »e was not a particularly gentle hostess when displeased. Fergus then ascended one or two steps which led from the shed into a small back room attached to the kitchen. It contained various tools and utensils, arranged in neat order around it, and a spinning-wheel iu one corner. The room had a chilly and comfortless expression, which was increased by the sound of the wind and snow driving against the window. Fergus walked across it, and came to a door leading into the kitchen. There was no latch or handle visible, but in place of them a leather string, with a knot at the end of it, protruding through a gimlet hole. Fergus pulled this string; it raised the wooden latch on the inside ; the door opened, and he entered. In a large, oldfashioned elbow-chair by the side of the FERGUS AT THE DOCTOR'S Conversation with Mother Conny. Lora gives Fergus a chair. fire sat Mother Conny, knitting. Her crutches were leaning up against the chimney by her side. A plain round table was standing in the middle of the room, with cups and plates upon it, which a beautiful little blue-eyed girl was arranging. The girl looked at Fergus when he came in, and smiled. "Why, Fergus, child!" cried out the old lady, in rather a severe voice, " is it you ? Well, you are in a fine case, I declare. Caught out here, a mile and more from home, in this storm ! Run away, I dare say, and now your poor mother is half crazy. Well," said she to herself, " so it always is with children. I only wish my son was not like all the rest of 'em." " Why, mother," said Fergus, " the snow-birds are out to-day, and why should not I be ? I am stouter than a ...« less