Fan's silken string

by Annette M. Lyster

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1879 ...a series of nervous curtseys with her cup in one hand and her hat in the other, smiled too, and looked less alarmed. "It is a little girl whom I found here asleep. She wandered in, poor little thing! and fell asleep, she was so tired and hungry. If you had only seen her! She looks quite different now. Her brother will come for her in a short time; he went to try and get work." Fan, though still very thin, had quite lost the look of recent severe illness, having got sunburned during her wanderings; and her hair had grown long enough to present a respectable appearance again. She was not a pretty child; but she was a very gentle, pleasant-looking little creature, with very frank, honest blue eyes. Moreover, thanks to poor despoiled Etty Spence's blue frock, she was tolerably clean and tidy, save for her very battered hat and shoes. Miss Ayrton, therefore, was not alarmed to see her so near her precious charge, though she said--"I almost think your papa would not like your having her here, Pearl; but yet you could not turn her out until her brother comes. You must have left the door open. That was careless, dear. Is your brother quite a big boy, little one? for there was a lad at the hall door when G I came out, and I think he was asking for work." "Yes, ma'am; Ben's fourteen, and very strong and big." "Mrs. Harewood was speaking to him. He said he had left his sister at a cottage not far off, but I never thought of this cottage." "We thought some one lived here, ma'am, and was out at work; and then I was so very tired, that I think I fell asleep before-Ben could tell what to do." A few questions drew from Fan an account of their adventures. She told how her mother and baby brother had died, "but it was a ...

36 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2012