Martha Finley - Elsie Dinsmore - Complete Series (28 Books in One Edition)

Martha Finley

Elsie Dinsmore, Elsie's Holidays at Roselands, Elsie's Girlhood, Elsie's Womanhood

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musaicumbooks@okpublishing.info2017 OK Publishing ISBN 978-80-7583-234-4

Elsie Dinsmore Elsie Dinsmore Table of Contents

Elsie's Holidays at Roselands Elsie's Holidays at Roselands Table of Contents

Elsie's Girlhood Elsie's Girlhood Table of Contents

Elsie's Womanhood Elsie's Womanhood Table of Contents

Elsie's Motherhood Elsie's Motherhood Table of Contents

Elsie's Children

Elsie's Widowhood

Grandmother Elsie

Elsie's New Relations

Elsie at Nantucket

The Two Elsies

Elsie's Kith and Kin

Elsie's Friends at Woodburn

Christmas with Grandma Elsie

Elsie and the Raymonds

Elsie Yachting with the Raymonds

Elsie's Vacation

Elsie at Viamede

Elsie at Ion

Elsie at the World's Fair

Elsie's Journey on Inland Waters

Elsie at Home

Elsie on the Hudson

Elsie in the South

Elsie's Young Folks in Peace and War

Elsie's Winter Trip

Elsie and Her Loved Ones

Elsie and Her Namesakes

Table of Contents Table of Contents Elsie Dinsmore Elsie Dinsmore Table of Contents Elsie's Holidays at Roselands Elsie's Holidays at Roselands Table of Contents Elsie's Girlhood Elsie's Girlhood Table of Contents Elsie's Womanhood Elsie's Womanhood Table of Contents Elsie's Motherhood Elsie's Motherhood Table of Contents Elsie's Children Elsie's Widowhood Grandmother Elsie Elsie's New Relations Elsie at Nantucket The Two Elsies Elsie's Kith and Kin Elsie's Friends at Woodburn Christmas with Grandma Elsie Elsie and the Raymonds Elsie Yachting with the Raymonds Elsie's Vacation Elsie at Viamede Elsie at Ion Elsie at the World's Fair Elsie's Journey on Inland Waters Elsie at Home Elsie on the Hudson Elsie in the South Elsie's Young Folks in Peace and War Elsie's Winter Trip Elsie and Her Loved Ones Elsie and Her Namesakes

Table of Contents Table of Contents Elsie Dinsmore Elsie Dinsmore Table of Contents Elsie's Holidays at Roselands Elsie's Holidays at Roselands Table of Contents Elsie's Girlhood Elsie's Girlhood Table of Contents Elsie's Womanhood Elsie's Womanhood Table of Contents Elsie's Motherhood Elsie's Motherhood Table of Contents Elsie's Children Elsie's Widowhood Grandmother Elsie Elsie's New Relations Elsie at Nantucket The Two Elsies Elsie's Kith and Kin Elsie's Friends at Woodburn Christmas with Grandma Elsie Elsie and the Raymonds Elsie Yachting with the Raymonds Elsie's Vacation Elsie at Viamede Elsie at Ion Elsie at the World's Fair Elsie's Journey on Inland Waters Elsie at Home Elsie on the Hudson Elsie in the South Elsie's Young Folks in Peace and War Elsie's Winter Trip Elsie and Her Loved Ones Elsie and Her Namesakes

Chapter I

Chapter II

Chapter III

Chapter IV

Chapter V

Chapter VI

Chapter VII

Chapter VIII

Chapter IX

Chapter X

Chapter XI

Chapter XII

Chapter XIII

Chapter XIV

Chapter XV

Table of Contents

"I never saw an eye so bright,

And yet so soft as hers;

It sometimes swam in liquid light,

And sometimes swam in tears;

It seemed a beauty set apart

For softness and for sighs."

—MRS. WELBY.

The school-room at Roselands was a very pleasant apartment; the ceiling, it is true, was somewhat lower than in the more modern portion of the building, for the wing in which it was situated dated back to the old-fashioned days prior to the Revolution, while the larger part of the mansion had not stood more than twenty or thirty years; but the effect was relieved by windows reaching from floor to ceiling, and opening on a veranda which overlooked a lovely flower-garden, beyond which were fields and woods and hills. The view from the veranda was very beautiful, and the room itself looked most inviting, with its neat matting, its windows draped with snow-white muslin, its comfortable chairs, and pretty rosewood desks.

Within this pleasant apartment sat Miss Day with her pupils, six in number. She was giving a lesson to Enna, the youngest, the spoiled darling of the family, the pet and plaything of both father and mother. It was always a trying task to both teacher and scholar, for Enna was very wilful, and her teacher's patience by no means inexhaustible.

"There!" exclaimed Miss Day, shutting the book and giving it an impatient toss on to the desk; "go, for I might as well try to teach old Bruno. I presume he would learn about as fast."

And Enna walked away with a pout on her pretty face, muttering that she would "tell mamma."

"Young ladies and gentlemen," said Miss Day, looking at her watch, "I shall leave you to your studies for an hour; at the end of which time I shall return to hear your recitations, when those who have attended properly to their duties will be permitted to ride out with me to visit the fair."

"Oh! that will be jolly!" exclaimed Arthur, a bright-eyed, mischief-loving boy of ten.

"Hush!" said Miss Day sternly; "let me hear no more such exclamations; and remember that you will not go unless your lessons are thoroughly learned. Louise and Lora," addressing two young girls of the respective ages of twelve and fourteen, "that French exercise must be perfect, and your English lessons as well. Elsie," to a little girl of eight, sitting alone at a desk near one of the windows, and bending over a slate with an appearance of great industry, "every figure of that example must be correct, your geography lesson recited perfectly, and a page in your copybook written without a blot."

"Yes, ma'am," said the child meekly, raising a pair of large soft eyes of the darkest hazel for an instant to her teacher's face, and then dropping them again upon her slate.

"And see that none of you leave the room until I return," continued the governess. "Walter, if you miss one word of that spelling, you will have to stay at home and learn it over."

"Unless mamma interferes, as she will be pretty sure to do," muttered Arthur, as the door closed on Miss Day, and her retreating footsteps were heard passing down the hall.

For about ten minutes after her departure, all was quiet in the school-room, each seemingly completely absorbed in study. But at the end of that time Arthur sprang up, and flinging his book across the room, exclaimed, "There! I know my lesson; and if I didn't, I shouldn't study another bit for old Day, or Night either."

"Do be quiet, Arthur," said his sister Louise; "I can't study in such a racket."

Arthur stole on tiptoe across the room, and coming up behind Elsie, tickled the back of her neck with a feather.

She started, saying in a pleading tone, "Please, Arthur, don't."

"It pleases me to do," he said, repeating the experiment.

Elsie changed her position, saying in the same gentle, persuasive tone, "O Arthur! please let me alone, or I never shall be able to do this example."

"What! all this time on one example! you ought to be ashamed. Why, I could have done it half a dozen times over."