_Of Elsie’s Brand-New Baby, and all the Things that Go with it; and
the Goodly Wisdom of the Angels who Bring Folks Babies that Are
like them._
Elsie has a brand-new baby and all the things that go with it. There’s
a pink _fleur_ on its baby brush and a pink bow on its cradle-quilt.
The angels brought the baby just last night in the night. I have been
to see it a goodly number of times--most everything I did start to
do, I went aside before I did get through doing it to take peeps at
the darling baby. I so did when I was sent to feed the chickens, and
when I went to carry in the wood, and when I went to visit Aphrodite,
and when I went to take eggs to the folks that live yonder, and when
I went to get some soap at the ranch-house, and when I went to take
a sugar-lump to William Shakespeare, and when I went to take food
to the folks in the hospital, and when I went to the ranch-house
to get the milk. And in the between times I did go in the way that
does lead to the house of Elsie.
The baby--it is a beautiful baby--though it does have much redness
of face from coming such a long way in the cold last night. Maybe
it was the coldness of the night that did cause the angels to make
the mistake. They stopped at the wrong house. I’m quite sure this
is the very baby I have been praying for the angels to bring to the
new young folks that do live by the mill by the far woods. Dear
Love, her young husband does call her. And they are so happy. But
they have been married seven whole months and have n’t got a baby
yet. Twice every day for a time long I have been praying prayers
for the angels to bring them one real soon. And most all day to-day
I did feel I better tell Elsie as how this baby is n’t her baby,
before she does get too fond of it. She so likes to cuddle it now.
Both morning and afternoon I did put off going to tell her about
it. I did wait most until eventime. Then I could n’t keep still any
longer. I felt I would just have to speak to her about it at once.
I did have knowings that Mrs. Limberger, that was staying with Elsie
until the other woman was come back, would n’t let me come in the
door to see the baby again because she has opinions that nineteen
times is fully enough to be a-coming to see a baby on the first day
of its life on earth. So I went and got a wood-box off the back
porch, and I did go around to the bedroom window. I did get on top
the wood-box and I made tappings on the window-pane. Elsie did have
hearings. She did turn her head on the pillow. And she gave nods for
me to come in. I pushed the window a push enough so I could squeeze
in. Then I sidled over to the bed.
Elsie did look so happy with the baby. I did swallow a lump in
my throat. She looked kind smiles at me. I did not like to bring
disturbs to her calm. I just stood there making pleats in my blue
calico apron. I did have thinks of Dear Love and the house without
a baby by the mill by the far woods. Then I felt I could n’t wait
any longer. I just said, “I know you are going to have a disappoint,
Elsie, but I have got to tell you--this baby is n’t yours. It’s a
mistake. It really belongs to Dear Love in that most new, most little
house by the mill by the far woods. It’s the one I’ve been praying
the Angels to bring to her.”
Just when I was all out of breath from telling her, there did come
the heavy step of Mrs. Limberger’s approaches. Elsie did say in a
gentle way, “Come to me early in the morning and we will talk the
matter over.” Then I did go out the window.
From the house of Elsie I did go to talk with Michael Angelo Sanzio
Raphael. He does so understand. All troubles that do trouble me, I
do talk them over with him. While I was telling him all about how
the angels did make a mistake and did bring Dear Love’s baby to the
house of Elsie, I did hear a little voice. It was a baby voice. It
did come from the barn. I went in to see. It was n’t in the haystack.
It seemed to come from a way below. I slid down to the manger of
the gentle Jersey cow. I thought she was in the pasture, but there
she was in the barn. And with her was a dear new baby calf. When I
did ask the ranch folks when it was brought, they did say it was
brought in the night last night. I have thinks the same angel that
did bring the new baby to the house of Elsie did bring also in her
other arm that baby calf to the gentle Jersey cow. To-night I will
pick it out a name from the books Angel Mother and Angel Father
did write in. Early in the morning I will go again to the house of
Elsie.
* * * * *
Early on the morning of to-day I did go in the way that does lead
to the house of Elsie. I did rap gentle raps on the door, and the
young husband of Elsie did come to raise the latch. When the door
did come open, I did have seeing that his black pumpadoor did seem
to shine more than most times, and all the vaseline was gone from
the jar that sets on the kitchen shelf. I did tell him how Elsie did
say for me to come early in this morning. And before he did have
time for answers, Elsie did have hearing in the other room. She did
call. She did call me to come in.
In I went. The baby it was beside her. It was all wrapped in a blanket
so it could n’t even have seeings out the window how the raindrops
was coming down so fast. The young husband of Elsie did look fond
looks at that blanket. I did begin to have fears he did have thinks
it was his baby. Elsie did unwrap the blanket from its red face.
It’s just as red as it was yesterday, though the rain coming makes
the weather more warm. Elsie did say, “See its long hair.” And I
did have seeing. It was n’t long though, not more than an inch. It
was most black. And its eyes--they were dark. It did have prefers to
keep them shut. When I did see them, Elsie did say, “Now about what
we were talking about yesterday--next time you go to the house of
Dear Love, have seeing of the color of her eyes and hair and also
of her husband’s. I hardly think this baby’s hair and eyes are like
theirs. And maybe it is where it does belong.” “I feel sure about
that,” said her young husband. But I had not feels so.
Just then the mamma did holler for me to come home to bring wood
in. I so come. Now she does have me mind the baby. I do print.
When sleeps was come upon the mamma’s baby, I straightway did go in
a hurry to the house of Dear Love by the mill by the far woods. All
the way along the raindrops were coming in a hurry down. Many of
them did say, “Petite Françoise too. I wonder, I wonder.” When I was
come to the house of Dear Love, she was there and he was there. Her
eyes were light blue, and her hair, it was very light. Most cream
hair she has got. And her husband that does call her Dear Love--his
eyes they are blue, and he has red hair. I saw. And I was going
right back because I did feel sad feels. Dear Love, she did lead me
back into her house and did have me to sit on a chair. I sat on its
corner. And I felt lumps come up in my throat. She did take off my
fascinator, and she did take off my shoes so my feet would get dry.
Then she did take me on her lap and she did ask me what was the
matter. And I just did tell her all about it--all about how I had
been praying for the angels to bring a baby real soon to them--and
how sad feels I did feel because they did n’t have a baby yet. Her
husband did smile a quiet smile at her, and roses did come on her
cheeks. And I did have thinks that they did have thinks that this
baby the angels did bring to the house of Elsie was their baby. Then
I did give them careful explanations as how I too did have thinks it
was their baby the angels did bring to the house of Elsie, that I
did pray for them to have real soon. And as how I did have thinks so
yesterday and last night and right up until now, when I did come to
their house and have seeings of their blue eyes and his having red
hair. I did tell them as how this baby could n’t be theirs, because
it has most dark hair and dark eyes--like the eyes and the hair of
the young husband of Elsie.
Angels do have a big amount of goodly wisdom. They do bring to folks
babies that are like them. To mother sheeps they do bring lambs. To
mother horse they do bring a poulain. To mother bats they bring twin
bats. To a mother mouse they do bring a baby mulot and some more like
it--all at the same time. To mère daine they do bring a baby faon.
To the gentle Jersey cow they did bring a baby calf, with creamness
and brownness upon it like the creamness and brownness that is upon
the gentle Jersey cow. Angels do have a goodly amount of wisdom.
They do bring to folks babies that do match them. And after I did
tell them that, I did have telling them as how, being as this baby
did n’t have eyes and hair to match theirs, it could n’t be their
baby. But I did tell them not to have disappoints too bad, because
I am going to pray on--and maybe she will get a baby next week.
When I did say that, her young husband did walk over to the window
and look long looks out. I have thinks he was having wonders if two
or three angels would be coming with the angel that will be bringing
their baby, and if the cradle-quilt they bring with it will have a
blue bow or a pink bow on it and if its baby brush will have blue
fleurs or pink fleurs on it. I have wonders. I think blue fleurs on
its baby brush and a blue bow on its cradle-quilt will look nicer
with red hair than pink fleurs and a pink bow. I have thinks I better
put that in my prayers.
By-and-by, when my feets were dry, they did put my shoes on and they
laced them up. They did n’t miss a string-hole like I do sometimes
when I am in a hurry to get them tied up. Then, when they did have
them tied up, they did want me to stay to dinner; but I did have
feels I must hurry back to the house of Elsie and tell her that the
baby was hers. She might be having anxious feels about it. When
I did say good-bye they did give me two apples--one for William
Shakespeare and one for Elizabeth Barrett Browning. And they did
give me some cheese for Thomas Chatterton Jupiter Zeus and corn for
Lars Porsena of Clusium. And they came a long way with me.
Then I did go on in hurry steps to the house of Elsie. As quick as
her young husband did open the door, I did walk right in, for I did
have thinks maybe she did have some very anxious feels while I was
gone. She smiled glad smiles when I told her it was hers. It must
have been an immense amount of relief--her now knowing it really was
her own baby. And when I did turn around to tell her young husband it
was theirs, her young husband, he just said, “I knew it was mine.”
And he looked more fond looks at the blanket it was wrapped in. I
have feels now it is nice for them to have it; and it is good that
they will not have needs to give it up--being as it matches them.
Angels do have a goodly amount of wisdom. This is a wonderful world
to live in.
When I did say good-bye to Elsie and the charmante baby, I did go
to the barn where is the gentle Jersey cow and the baby calf that
does match her. That baby calf I have named Mathilde Plantagenet.
I have named her so for Mathilde that was daughter of Roi Henri I
and Mathilde that was daughter of Sainte Marguerite that was reine
d’Écosse. Mathilde Plantagenet is her name because the name of the
man Mathilde did marry, it was Geoffroi Plantagenet. And too in days
of summer the _gênet fleur_ grows near unto here. I have had seeings
of them by waters that flow by the mill town. And when their bloom
time is come, I will make for Mathilde Plantagenet a guirlande of
_les fleurs de gênet_. And we will go walking down the lane.