_Of an Exploring Trip with Brave Horatius; and how Opal Kept Sadness
away from her Animal Friends._
Near eventime to-day I did go out the house when the works were
done. I went out the front door and a little way down the path. I
made a stop to watch the clouds. They first did come over the hills
in a slow way. Then they did sail on and on. They were like ships.
I did have wonders what thoughts they were carrying from the hills
to somewhere. While I did watch, Brave Horatius did come and stand
by my side. He looked up at me. In his eyes were askings. I made
explainings. I told him, “Le ciel est plein de nuages, qui ont l’air
de navires.”
While I did talk with him, the mamma did call. I went in. Brave
Horatius followed after. She made him go out the other door. I went
too. I went to get the potatoes the mamma wanted for supper. I got
them out of a sack in the wood-shed. When she did make prepares to
peel the potatoes, the mamma reached away back in the cook-table
drawer for the paring knife. When she did reach so far back, she
did feel the track of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Then she pulled
it out real quick. She threw it out the window. When I went to pick
it up, it was broken into eleven pieces. I did gather up all the
pieces. They got a little bit wet from tears that trickled down my
nose. When I did get the pieces together, I did put them in the back
part of the machine drawer.
While I so did, I heard a grunt by the bedroom window. I climbed out.
There was Peter Paul Rubens, and near unto him was Brave Horatius.
To each I gave four pats on the nose. They have likes for pats on
the nose. Then I went adown the path. They walked beside me. I saw
the cloud-ships sailing on. I made a stop to tell Peter Paul Rubens
what I did tell Brave Horatius. I did n’t get it all told. When I
did say, “Le ciel est plein de nuages,” Peter Paul Rubens did grunt
a grunt to go on. That was his own dear way of telling me he already
did have knowings those clouds looked like ships. I gave him a pat
and one to Brave Horatius too.
I went on. They walked beside me. I went on a little way. Then I did
go aside from the path. I so went to the altar of Saint Louis. Three
logs and four stumps and three trees it is distant from the path. And
I took there with me all the little plants with green leaves--the
ones I did dig up yesterday. I brought them to plant them in a crown
there on his altar, for this day is the day of his crowning in 1226.
While I did plant them, the wind did sing a memory song. And the
trees were talking. I have thinks they were saying of the goodness
of Saint Louis. Peter Paul Rubens, he did have understanding of
what they were saying. He did grunt Amen at in-between times.
* * * * *
To-day in the morning, when the mamma was in the other room, I did
take down from its hook the papa’s big coat. I did put it onto me
and it did trail away out behind. I like to wear the papa’s big
coat. Jenny Strong, who comes to visit us, says the reason I like to
wear the papa’s big coat is because it makes me more grown-up. She’s
wrong. The reason I like to wear the papa’s big coat is because it
has pockets in it--big ones--nice ones to put toads and mice and
caterpillars and beetles in. That’s why I like to wear the papa’s
coat. Why, when I go walking in the papa’s big coat, nearly the whole
nursery can go along. This morning, just as I was making a start
out the door to the nursery, the mamma came into the kitchen. She
did hurry to the door and I did hurry out. But she caught me by the
end of the coat. She did get that coat off of me in a quick way.
She hung it back on its nail. When it was hung on its nail in the
proper way, she gave to me a shoulder-shake. And I did go to feed
the chickens.
After I did feed the chickens all, and have some conversations with
them, I went in to get the lard-pail that does have my school lunch in
it. While I was putting my jacket on, the mamma did tie a new piece
of asfiditee around my neck to keep me from having disease. It was
a big piece of asfiditee. It did n’t stay a big piece very long. I
divided it with my animal friends. Now each one of us has a bit of
asfiditee tied around our necks, so we will not catch sickness. I
do so like to share things. I could not find Brave Horatius to give
him his share. I did have it already to tie around his dear neck,
but he did not answer when I did call. I called in the woods and I
called in the field. When he did not come, I went a little way back
in the woods to a root. I hid his piece of asfiditee there. To-morrow
morning I will tie it around his neck.
Near the root was a little wren. I made a stop to watch him. He was
in a hurry. I thought he would tip over. I went in a hurry to help
him. Before I was come to the root he was gone. And I saw his short
tail no more.
When I got to school, teacher was standing there in the door. She
was looking far-off looks in the way that does lead to the river.
I thought maybe she was having dream-thoughts. I was just going to
walk past her, when she turned me about for inspection. She felt
the outside of my left apron pocket, but I did n’t bring my pet
toad again to school this morning. I am not going to risk his life
again. Next time I am going to bring him to school in a pocket in
my underskirt.
Most all day in school to-day I did study from the books Angel Mother
and Angel Father did make for me. I did screwtineyes the spell of
words. When school was let out, I went in the way that does lead to
a grove where many _chêne_ trees do dwell. I so went to get brown
leaves. After I did have a goodly number of leaves, I did face about
in the way that does lead to the willow creek.
When I was come to the log that goes across the creek I went halfway
across. I went not all way across because this is the going-away-day
of Henry I in 1135, and I did pause to scatter leaves upon the
waters. I let them fall one by one. And they were sixty-seven, for
his years were sixty-seven.
Then I went to bugle in the canyon. I did go by the pig-pen. I went
that way to get Peter Paul Rubens. He does so like to go for walks
in that canyon of the far woods when I go to bugle there. And I do
so like to have him go. I have thinks the trees and the ferns and
the singing brook all have gladness when Peter Paul Rubens comes
a while to walk in the woods. He does carry so much joy with him
everywhere he goes.
To-day near eventime we did walk our way back unto near the cathedral.
We made a stop there for a short prayer service. First I said Our
Father, and then I said two short prayers; one was a thank prayer, and
one was a glad prayer. As always, Peter Paul Rubens did grunt Amen
at in-between times. Then he did go his way to the pig-pen to get
his supper. And I went aside to see if there was any sheeps on the
hillside. I saw not one. And so I come again to the field. Elizabeth
Barrett Browning was at the pasture-bars. There was lonesome feels
in her mooings. I went and put my arm around her neck. It is such
a comfort to have a friend near when lonesome feels do come.