【英文原著类】TATTINE(塔廷).pdf

TATTINE
TATTINE
by Ruth Ogden [Mrs. Charles W. Ide]
1
TATTINE
CHAPTER I. TROUBLE NO. 1
Whether you happen to be four or five, or six, or seven, or even older
than that, no doubt you know by this time that a great many things need to
be learned in this world, everything, in fact, and never more things than at
seven. At least, so thought little Tattine, and what troubled her the most
was that some of the things seemed quite wrong, and yet no one was able
to right them. All her little life Tattine's Mother had been setting things
straight for her, drying every tear, and unravelling every tangle, so that
Tattine was pretty downhearted the day she discovered that there were
some things that were quite beyond even her Mother's power to alter. It
was on a lovely June morning that Tattine made the first of her e
discoveries. She was feeling particularly happy too, until she made it. She
was sitting up in an apple-tree, sketching, and doing it very well. She had
taken only a few drawing-lessons but had taken to them immensely, and
now with one limb of the tree for a seat and another one for an easel, she
was working away at a pretty chime tower, that stood on a neighbor's land.
Down on the grass beneath her Betsy and Doctor were lying. Betsy
was a dear, homely red-and-white Laverack setter, and Doctor, black-and-
white and better looking, was her son. Doctor's beautiful grandmother
Tadjie was lying, alas! under the grass instead of on it, not very far away.
It was a sad day for the dog world when Tadjie left it, for although she was
very old, she was very beautiful up to the last with a glossy silky coat, a
superbly feathered tail, and with brown eyes so soft and entreating, they
fairly made you love her, whether you were fond of dogs or no.
Well, Tattine was sketching away and was quite absorbed in it, but
Doctor, who was little more than a puppy, thought it very dull. He lay with
his head between his paws, and, without moving a muscle,