TATTINE

by Ruth Ogden [Mrs. Charles W. Ide]



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 unwelcome 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,