Bessie Marchant
Daughters of the Dominion
A Story of the Canadian Frontier
Published by Good Press, 2019
EAN 4064066217105
Table of Contents
CHAPTER I The Lone House at Blue Bird Ridge
CHAPTER IV What the New Day brought
CHAPTER XI The Recognition of Mrs. Nichols
CHAPTER XII Nell Learns her Family History
CHAPTER XVII One-sided Confidences
CHAPTER XVIII The Dead Chinaman
CHAPTER XXI A Patient for Mrs. Nichols
CHAPTER XXII The Fate of the Prisoner
CHAPTER XXIII Honouring the Heroine
CHAPTER XXIV A Sister by Adoption
CHAPTER XXV The Humours of Trading
CHAPTER XXVI A Woman of Business
CHAPTER XXVII An Early Customer
CHAPTER XXVIII Doss Umpey’s Excuses
CHAPTER XXXI Dividing the Family
ILLUSTRATIONS
Nell nurses the Stranger
“Come right in, will you, please, miss?”
“Nell found that she was by far the more expert on snow-shoes”
“For me? But I don’t expect any parcel!”
The rescue-party discover Nell on the Railway Track
“I heard a little about a friend of yours away down in the city,” he said.
CHAPTER I
The Lone House at Blue Bird Ridge
“NELL, Nell, where are you? I want you to give an eye to the dog; the creature has had a dreadful mauling,” shouted Doss Umpey, in petulant tones. He had thrust his head in at the open door, and seemed quite angry to find that there was no one moving about in the houseplace.
“I’m coming, granfer,” cried a voice, somewhere out of sight. Then there was a shaking of the rickety ladder which stood in the far corner of the dark little room, and a thin girl in very shabby clothes came slowly into view.
No one would have called Nell, otherwise Eleanor Hamblyn, at this period of her life, a pretty girl. Two good points, however, she possessed: one a sweet, low voice, that excellent thing in woman; the other a pair of beautiful luminous eyes, which made those who saw them forget the defects of her face and figure.
“You never are on hand when you are wanted. What you find to do in that old loft all the time just about passes my comprehension,” growled the old man, whose temper was none of the sweetest.
“Well, I ain’t far off when I’m wanted, anyhow,” replied Nell, good-humouredly. Then she asked in an anxious tone, “What’s the matter with Pip?”
“Got mauled pretty badly; must have been having a turn with a wolf, I should say, only it’s early for wolves to be getting troublesome. So p’r’aps he’s been fighting a wild dog.”
“There ain’t no wild dogs round here,” objected Nell, with a shake of her head.
“I’m not so sure of that. Last time I was over to Button End, Job Lipton said he’d seen a buff-coloured beast hunting rabbits on the ridges, and that there’d been a talk of sheep being killed out Lewisville way,” the old man said, as he turned from the door. Nell followed him to inspect the dog, which lay helpless on the edge of the forest.
The