Chapter I: Front Matter

ROCKY FORK

BY
MARY HARTWELL CATHERWOOD

ILLUSTRATED BY FRANK T. MERRILL

_NEW EDITION_

BOSTON
LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO.

_Copyright, 1911_,
BY LOTHROP, LEE AND SHEPARD CO.
_All rights reserved_

_Electrotyped and Printed by
THE COLONIAL PRESS
C. H. Simonds & Co., Boston, U.S.A._

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I. DOCTOR GARDE’S LITTLE GIRL 9

II. MR. PITZER 19

III. THE GEOGRAPHY-SCHOOL TEACHER 25

IV. COMPANY 36

V. THE GEOGRAPHY SCHOOL 56

VI. THE NARROWS AND MARY ANN FURNACE 73

VII. MISS MELISSA FURTHER DISAPPROVES OF THE ROCKY FORK 84

VIII. WHICH TREATS OF THUMB-PAPERS 101

IX. THEY CHURN 108

X. MOTHER OUTDOORS DISTURBED 115

XI. BLUEBELL MAKES A POEM 127

XII. “JORDAN STORMY BANKS” 139

XIII. ABRAM HAS A THEORY 152

XIV. BLUEBELL HAS NO THEORY 163

XV. THE FORD 169

XVI. A TRIO AND CHORUS 173

XVII. DOCTOR GARDE LISTENS TO REASON 186

XVIII. BLUEBELL AND TILDY 199

XIX. THE CHILD IN THE BLACKBERRY PATCH 207

XX. THE LAST TIME 215

XXI. THE FIRST RAILROAD TRAIN 230

XXII. MISS BIGGAR 245

XXIII. A DUCK AMONG SWANS 252

XXIV. MISS MELISSA DROPS A FEW HINTS 263

XXV. EVENTS 271

XXVI. MISS BIGGAR’S POSSESSIONS 288

XXVII. DINNER IN DOLL-LAND 297

XXVIII. SOMEBODY ARRIVES 305

XXIX. DOCTOR GARDE’S LITTLE GIRL 312

XXX. TWO LETTERS 319

ILLUSTRATIONS

“I’M DOCTOR GARDE’S LITTLE GIRL” (_page 11_) _Frontispiece_

FACING PAGE

“HERE’S A WAX DOLL FOR YOU” 46

THE PRINCIPAL FIGURES IN A PROCESSION TO THE SCHOOL-HOUSE 110

LIZA STEPPED BACK, DRAWING HER ROLL OFF THE SPINDLE INTO A
LONG WOOLLY THREAD 134

“I SEIZED HIS BRIDLE AND TRIED TO LEAD HIM OUT” 184

THE PERFORMER PLAYED SOME LITTLE MARCH 254