_How Felix Mendelssohn and Lucian Horace Ovid Virgil Go for a Ride;
William Shakespeare Suffers One Whipping and Opal Another._
On the way home from school to-night I did meet with Sadie McKibben,
and it was very nice to see her freckles. And she wore her blue
gingham apron with cross stitches on it. First when we were met she
did kiss me on each cheek. Then she was going to shake hands with
me, but I could not shake hands with her with my right hand because
Louis II, le Grand Condé, was asleep in my sleeve. I had fears
shaking hands with my right hand would disturb his calm. So I gave
explanations. And Sadie McKibben did have understanding. She gave me
a kiss on my nose and smoothed back my curls and shook hands with
my left hand.
When she so did, Felix Mendelssohn did poke his nose out the cuff.
He made a quick run up my arm and settled down on my shoulder. He
is a very quick-moving mouse. Sadie McKibben did see the movement
his moving did make on my sleeve. She asked me if that was all my
friends I did take to school to-day. Then I lifted up my apron and
I did show her Lucian Horace Ovid Virgil. He was riding in a pocket
in my underskirt. She did have wantings to know why it was that I
was not carrying him in my apron pocket as I use to do. I told her
I did not so now, for teacher does feel of my apron pockets when
I do come into school in the morning; so I carry my friends in my
sleeves and in pockets in my underskirt.
Sadie McKibben did have understanding. And she did say she thought
she would have to be getting me a little basket to carry them in.
She said she was going to speak to the man that wears gray neckties
and is kind to mice about the matter. I have thinks to be carried
in a warm basket will please the souls of Louis II, le Grand Condé,
and Felix Mendelssohn and Lucian Horace Ovid Virgil and all the
little folk that do go walking with me. It will be almost as nice
as to ride in the pockets of the papa’s big coat. I have thinks I
will have needs to put pockets in that basket and divides so there
in it will be little rooms, little rooms for all the folks of the
nursery. I will let them have their turns riding to school in the
basket. And there is enough room in my seat so that basket can set
right beside me. I can hardly wait waits until I do have that basket.
When Sadie McKibben did kiss me good-bye, she gave me a sugar-lump
for William Shakespeare and a piece of cheese for Thomas Chatterton
Jupiter Zeus and a bone for Brave Horatius and ten corn-seeds for
Lars Porsena of Clusium. She does have knowings of the likings of
my friends. Then she went her way, and I did come my way home to
the house we live in.
When I was come, first I did feed the chickens. And then I did go
to carry in the wood. It was while I was carrying in wood that Rob
Ryder came to borrow a hammer. I have n’t been near unto where he
has been since I did bite his hand the other day. And to-day the
mamma tried to make me say to that Rob Ryder how sorry I was because
I bit him on the hand. But I was n’t a bit sorry. And I would n’t
say I was sorry. And if I got a chance I’d bite him again for his
laying that big whip to the back of William Shakespeare when he does
n’t pull logs fast enough. I know my William Shakespeare and I know
how hard he pulls to pull those logs. To pull those logs he does
his very best.
And when he was gone away the mamma did spank me most hard with the
hair-brush. Then she put me out the door. And I did go from the house
we do live in to where do dwell King Edward III and Queen Philippa of
Hainault. They are grand trees. We are friends. Often it is I go to
where they dwell when the mamma does put me out of the house. To-day
I did stay long with them and I did talk long with them. Mostly it
was about the lovely England when they were there, we did have talks
about to-day. And the wind was talking too. I think the wind does
have knowing of this being their wedding day in 1328. As he did come
near unto where they dwell, he did walk among the willows by the
singing creek. And I did climb down from the arms of Queen Philippa
of Hainault and go to gather water-cress for the mamma. She does
have such a fondness for it.
Then I did say good-bye, and I did say good-bye to all those twelve
trees growing near unto them. And all those twelve trees that do
grow near unto King Edward III and Queen Philippa of Hainault--those
twelve trees are their twelve children. The tree most near unto
Edward III, that is Edward Prince of Wales; and the one next unto
him is Lionel Duke of Clarence; and the one most near unto him,
that is John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster. The time was when there
were only ten trees growing there, and I did have needs to plant
two more. Two little ones I did plant, and one is for baby Blanche
and one is for baby William, the other one.