Emily's Dream
Jacqueline Pearce
Copyright © 2005 Jacqueline Pearce
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher.
National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication Data:
Pearce, Jacqueline, 1962-
Emily's dream / Jacqueline Pearce.
(Orca young readers)
ISBN 1-55143-368-0
1. Carr, Emily, 1871-1945--Childhood and youth--Juvenile fiction.
I. Title. II. Series.
PS8581.E26E45 2005Â Â Â Â Â jC813'.6Â Â Â Â Â C2005-901173-4
First Published in the United States 2005
Library of Congress Control Number:
2005922213
Summary:
Young Emily Carr is determined to become an artist
no matter what her big sister thinks about it.
Free teachers' guide available.
www.orcabook.com
Orca Book Publishers gratefully acknowledges the support for its publishing programs provided by the following agencies: the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program (BPIDP), the Canada Council for the Arts, and the British Columbia Arts Council.
Typesetting and cover design by Lynn O'Rourke
Cover & interior illustrations by Renné Benoit
In Canada:
Orca Book Publishers
Box 5626 Stn.B
Victoria, BC Canada
V8R 6S4
In the United States:
Orca Book Publishers
PO Box 468
Custer, WA USA
98240-0468
07  06  05  04  â¢Â  6  5  4  3  2  1
Printed and bound in Canada.
For my nieces and nephews:
Bailey, Tabitha, Jasmine,
Jordan, Brendan, Nicholas,
Aidan, Adam, Eric and Drew.
Believe in yourself
and stay true to your dreams
.
Table of Contents
7Â Â Â Â Â Serving the Piddingtons
 1 
The Riding WhipEmily burrowed into the sweet-smelling hay. She didn't think her oldest sister would climb up to the barn loft to look for her, but if she did, Emily would be well hidden. The stiff hay shafts poked into her, and the dust tickled her nose, but Emily didn't care. She could hear Dede's angry voice calling her from the house. Emily shifted deeper into the hay. She had no intention of going back to the house to let Dede punish her. She'd rather stay in the hayloft all day.
Why did Dede have to make such a fuss over everything? Emily was sure she'd seen Bishop Cridge hide a smile when she'd chased her little brother Richard into the
sitting room and tagged him right over the tea things Dede had just set out for her guests. If Bishop Cridge hadn't minded a little tea in his lap, why should Dede? Dede had gotten bossier than ever since their parents had died.
It was three years now since Mother's death from illness, and Emily still missed her terribly. Father had seemed to lose interest in life after Mother died, and he hadn't lasted much longer. Now, Emily's grown-up sister Dede was in charge. Father had left the house to Dede, and Dede acted like she owned the Carr children as well as the house.
“She doesn't own me,” Emily whispered fiercely into the hay.
“Emily Carr, you get in this house this minute!” Dede's order rang across the cow yard. “Or do you expect your brother to take your punishment for you?”
Emily sat up, hay cascading off her body. Through a hole between the boards in the side of the loft, she could see Dede standing on the back porch of the house. Richardâ Dick, as everyone called himâstood beside
her, looking at his feet. Dede had a firm grip on his ear. Hay dust drifted up, and Emily sneezed.
Well, that was it. She'd have to go in. She couldn't leave Dick to take the punishment on his own. Playing tag had been Emily's idea, after all. Dede was so unfair.
Emily climbed slowly down the ladder from the loft. The family's old cow lingered by the barn door, waiting for her. Emily gave her an affectionate scratch on the head, then took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and headed for the house.
Once Emily was on the porch, Dede let go of Dick's ear and grabbed Emily's instead.
“You are so exasperating, Emily!” Dede said angrily. “When will you learn to obey the rules of this house?”
Dede pushed Emily through the back door into the kitchen, not expecting an answer.
“You will have our guests believing that we are uncivilized, that we have no sense of decorum or propriety,” she went on.
Emily felt her own anger rise. Dede was always going on about what other people
thought. She didn't care what Emily thought or even what Dick or Emily's other sisters thought. All that mattered to Dede was that everything looked right to others.
“You know the punishment for breaking rules,” Dede said grimly as she reached for the riding whip that hung on the wall by the kitchen door.
Emily glared at Dede. She wanted to say something angry back at her, but instead she gritted her teeth and braced herself for the snap of the whip against the back of her legs.
Whack
!
Whack
!
“And one more for hiding,” Dede added.
Whack
!
Then she let go of Emily and hung the whip back on its hook.
“I'm sorry to have to do that, Emily,” Dede said. But Emily turned away from her. She did not want Dede to see the tears in her eyes.
“Can I go now?” Emily asked, trying to keep the anger and humiliation out of her voice. She did not want another smack with the whip.
“
May
I go,” Dede corrected.
“May I go now?” Emily repeated, though she felt her face growing hot with resentment and frustration.
“Yes, you may,” Dede said at last.
Emily walked slowly out of the room and along the hall to the stairs leading up to her bedroom. She wanted to stomp up the stairs, but she made herself walk quietly.
Once inside her room, Emily flung herself onto her bed and screamed into the pillow.
“Milly?” a timid voice whispered. “Are you okay?”
Emily rolled over and saw Dick standing by the door, pale and concerned. He looked younger than his years even though his yellow curls had been cut off, and he had recently started wearing long pants like a man.
“Of course I'm okay,” Emily told him with a forced smile.
She got off the bed and stood beside the metal birdcage that hung on a stand near the window. Inside, the yellow canary cocked his head sideways to look at her,
then opened his beak to let out a cascade of sound. Emily smiledâthis time, for real. The canary's singing always improved her spirits.
Dick came to stand beside her.
“I'm sorry you got in trouble,” he said. Then he looked at her with a mischievous twinkle in his blue eyes.
“But the game was fun,” he said. “And the look on Bishop Cridge's face sure was funny.”
Emily reached over and hugged her brother, laughing.
 2 Daydreaming