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THE MITTEN SERIES




[Illustration: Out stalked the Griffin, smoking his Pipe, and with him
all the fashionable Beasts of the neighborhood.]




    MORE MITTENS:

    WITH

    THE DOLL'S WEDDING

    AND

    OTHER STORIES.

    BEING

    THE THIRD BOOK OF THE SERIES.

    BY

    AUNT FANNY,

    AUTHOR OF THE SIX NIGHTCAP BOOKS, ETC.


    NEW YORK:
    D. APPLETON AND COMPANY,
    443 & 445 BROADWAY.
    LONDON: 16 LITTLE BRITAIN.
    1863.


    Entered, according to act of Congress, in the year 1862, by
    FANNY BARROW,
    In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for
    the Southern District of New York.




    THIS VOLUME
    IS
    AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED
    TO
    "ILKEN ANNIE,"
    WHO
    LIVES ON STATEN ISLAND.




CONTENTS.


    A LETTER FROM AUNT FANNY,        7

    THE DOLL'S WEDDING,             10

    WHAT CAME OF GIPSYING,          25

    THE CHILD HEROINE,              50

    AUNT MARY,                      69

    LITTLE PETER,                   75

    THE STORY TOLD TO WILLIE,      102




A LETTER

FROM AUNT FANNY.


MY DARLING CHILDREN:

I wrote these stories, as I have already told you, some years ago, and
took a great deal of pains with them. I called them "Life Among the
Children;" when, lo and behold! somebody else had written a book with
the very same name, but very different stories, and I never knew one
word about it.

You may believe how sorry I was to take this pretty title when it
belonged to another; and I was very thankful that I could get at the
printer and have it changed.

What do you think of "The Doll's Wedding" for a name? I like it very
much, because "Lily," whose dolls were married, is one of my particular
pets; and what I have related, took place precisely as you read it. Lily
is a funny darling; she had a "doll's regatta" once, and I do believe,
in my next book, I will tell you all about it.

Meanwhile, if you will only laugh and grow fat as Lily does, and above
all, try to be good and lovely as Maggie the Child Heroine is, I will
write stories to interest you until my fingers feel as if they were all
thumbs; for that is just how they _do_ feel when they are very tired.

I wish I knew you all. I believe about three hundred children call me
"Aunt Fanny" now, but I have room in my heart for _ever, ever_ so many
more. You see I have a patent elastic heart; and when you would think it
was so crowded that a small doll could not squeeze in, if you only try,
you would find there was plenty of room for _one more_, and that one
would be you.

I wish good Mr. Somebody would make a telescope on purpose for me,
powerful enough to see all the darling children at once. Fancy how
perfectly delightful to see every little innocent child in the world
with one eye!

Oh! that thought has quite upset me, laughing and thinking about it. So
many little smiling faces at once--a great deal better than staring at
the man in the moon, who has no expression at all worth talking about.

When I get it I will invite you all to come and take a peep at
yourselves.

Good-by! I blow you a hundred kisses; and I hope the breeze is fair, so
you will get them all safe and warm from your loving

    AUNT FANNY.




THE DOLL'S WEDDING.


One day, Alice came home from school, and opening her drawer, to put
away her things, she saw a letter lying on the very top of a pile of
pantalets.

"Why, who can this be for?" said she, in a tone of delighted surprise.
"Is it for me, mamma?"

"Yes," said her mother, "and it is sealed up so tight, that I expect it
is of the greatest importance; perhaps from the President of the United
States, requesting you to come to Washington immediately, to dine with
him."

"Dear me, how delightful!" exclaimed Alice. "I like getting a letter,
it's so very _oldy_, you know--just like grown people; did you pay the
postman?" and in her impatience and excitement, she tore the envelope
all to pieces. "Now read it, mamma, please," and then she began to jump
up and down, and ended by turning a summerset on the bed.

Her mother laughed, and said: "If that is the way you are going to
behave, when you go to see the President, I think he will be slightly
astonished; but let us see, first, if he wrote it," and she read thus:--

    "DEAR ALICE--

    "My doll is to be married on next Friday, at two o'clock; and I
    should be very happy to see you, and as many dolls as you can
    bring.
            "Yours, truly,     LILY.

    "WEDNESDAY, Oct. 20th, 1858."

"Isn't it too nice!" cried Alice, with a joyful little scream. "A
wedding!" and she bounced into a rocking-chair, and nearly tipped over
backwards. "Dear me! what a _leany_-back chair! I very nearly upset.
I'll take Anna with me; but she must have a new dress immediately--and a
hoop petticoat; and, oh, mamma! her hands are all to pieces; the cotton
is sticking out in every direction; can't you buy her a new pair? these
old brown ones will never do to go to a wedding. Oh, dear! I am so
glad," she continued, clapping her hands, "I won't have any trouble with
her hair, because it is made of china, and I need not put it up in
curl-papers, as I did that poor old thing's in the corner, staring at me
so crossly, just because I cut her nose off: she can't go to the
wedding; she would frighten the bride into fits."

And now Alice ran off, and coaxed her sister, who was the very best
sister in the whole world, or any where else, to make Anna a dress,
grand enough for the occasion; and, thereupon, commenced a great
rummaging in the rag-bag, and among their mother's stock of old ribbons;
and in a short time Anna was made to look perfectly beautiful. The hoop
petticoat gave her an appearance extremely like a balloon; and she had
to sit down very carefully, to prevent it from going up in the air, and
almost over her head.

When Friday came, it rained; and Alice's sister very kindly went to see
if the wedding would come off, rain or shine. She came back with the
information, that it would not take place if it rained; the ceremony
would be postponed to the first fair day--a mode of proceeding rather
unusual, but, I think, very sensible; and, I have no doubt, that _real
live_ people would be very glad to do the same; for some find it
difficult to feel very happy when the rain is pouring down from the
great black clouds.

Alice waited impatiently until Saturday. At first it was cloudy; but
towards twelve o'clock the sun shone bright and warm, and Alice and her
doll were soon dressed; the first, all smiles, doing every thing with a
hop, skip and jump; while Miss Anna, whose heart, if she had any, was as
hard, no doubt, as her china head, kept the same prinking smile on her
face, as she was violently twisted and twitched about, and pins run into
her in all directions; not to speak of her being thrown so hastily on
the bed, while Alice was having her bonnet tied and her gloves put on,
that she fell over on the top of her