The story of my life ; or, The sunshine and shadow of seventy years / by Mary A. Livermore ... with hitherto unrecorded incidents and recollections of three years' experience as an army nurse in the great Civil War, and reminiscences of twenty-five years' experiences on the lecture platform ... to which is added six of her most popular lectures ... with portraits and one hundred and twenty engravings from designs by eminent artists ...

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172 THE STORY OF MY LIFE.

abridge the boy's pleasures too largely and rapidly, a wall
of aversion would be sure to arise between us, and I should
be powerless to influence him. So, as soon as I could be
heard, I proposed, diplomatically, that we should refer the
matter to Mr. Ifenderson for decision. I saw that his sympathies were with Dick, for he had nodded a laughing assent
to the boy's propositions from time to time, as he argued his
case.
" There's nothing to fear from a gun in Dick's hands,"
said his father; "1he's used to it. Like Paddy, he's owned
his gun ever since it was a pistol, and has known how to
load, take aim, and fire, since he was four years old. Only,
Dick," he continued, as if the matter was settled, "1don't go
banging round where your sisters are. Give them a wide
berth when you fire."
Here the door of the breakfast-room was burst open by
Jim and Lily, who made a noisy irruption among us, with
the ugly little Spitfire barking at their heels, and nearly
wriggling himself in two with excitement.
"Il ain't you done breakfast yet? " they shouted. "Oncl'
ilenson's brought up the carriage, an' Aunt Aggy's got
a big lunch basket packed, an' we're all ready. Come,
hurry up!"1
All left the table instanter, and rushed to the door to
inspect the arrangements. "1Uncle Henson," who was
Aunt Aggy's husband, sat erect on the carriage box, hip,
black face shining with pleasure. Peter, who belonged to
Dick, and who was as ragged as a 'scarecrow, held Old IRock
by the bridle, and carried his young master's gun on his
shoulder, and his game bag in his hand. Jeff, a bright