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Ben Blinker, Or, Maggie's Golden Motto, and what it Did for Her Brother
Ben Blinker Or Maggie's Golden Motto and what it Did for Her Brother Author:Daniel Wise 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: CHAPTER III. A TRIP TO CHERRY ISLAND. '"THE next morning brought with it a com- plete and cheering change. The fog had been driven back to sea by a northw... more »est breeze. The sun rose bright and clear in the blue sky. A severe frost had covered every tree and bush with fantastic, beautiful fairy work. The flow of the river, though full, was steady, and the floating ice had entirely disappeared. It was very evident that the January thaw was over, and the freshet fast subsiding. Winter was coming to claim his own again. "I wonder if Bob Blinker reached home last night, pa," said Ralph Young, as soon as grace was said at the breakfast-table of Under- cliff Villa. "Poor fellow! I fear not," replied Mr. Young, shaking his head, and speaking in a tone of sadness. " You don't think he was drowned, do you, pa ?" asked Alice, his eldest daughter, in a voice which indicated alarm and earnestness. Mr. Young, looking 'up from the beefsteak he was carving, saw a tear trembling in his daughter's eye. This evidence of deep feeling in his child increased his own concern, and he replied, in a gentle voice,— " We will try, dear, to hope that he was not; but I confess my fears are stronger than my hopes." " Poor Maggie! " exclaimed Alice, with a sigh. " Who is poor Maggie ?" inquired Miss Amanda Young, a maiden who seemed " got up," that is dressed, rouged, and ornamented, for the express purpose of concealing the fact, that her charms had been forty summers inreaching their maturity. She was sister to the owner of Undercliff Villa. " Maggie is Bob Blinker's eldest daughter, Aunt Amanda," replied Alice. " She is very pretty. I have often noticed her when she has brought berries or fish here to sell. Dominie Dutiful says she is one of the nicest girls he ever knew, and perfe...« less