Captain January Author:Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards 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. INTRODUCING IMOGEN AND BOB " TMOGEN ! " said Star, looking up from her book, J- " I don't believe you have been listening!" Imogen looked up m... more »eekly, but made no attempt to deny the charge. " You must listen! " said the child, sternly. " First place, it's beautiful: and besides, it's very rude not to listen when people reads. And you ought not to be rude, Imogen !" After which short lecture, Star turned to her book again,—a great book it was, lying open on the little pink calico lap, — and went on reading, in her clear childish voice: "' Over hill, over dale, Thorough bush, thorough brier, Over park, over pale, Thorough flood, thorough fire, I do wander everywhere, Swifter than the moony sphere; And I serve the fairy queen, To dew her orbs upon the green:' Do you know what a fairy is, Imogen ?" asked Star, looking up again suddenly. But this time it was very evident that Imogen (who was, in truth, a large white cow, with a bell round her neck) was paying no attention whatever to the reading; for she had fairly turned her back, and was leisurely cropping the short grass, swaying her tail in a comfortable and reflective manner the while. Star sprang to her feet, and seizing the delinquent's horns, shook them with all her might. " How dare you turn your back when I am reading ? " she cried. " I'm just ashamed of you ! You're a disgrace to me, Imogen. Why, you are as ignorant as a — as — as a lobster! and you a great cow with four whole legs. A — a — ah! shame on you !" Imogen rubbed her head deprecatingly against the small pink shoulder, and uttered a soft and apologetic " moo;" but Star was not ready to be mollified yet. " And you know it's my own book, too ! " she continued, reproachfully. " My own Willum Shakespeare, t...« less