_Of Jenny Strong’s Visit, its Gladness and its Sadness._
Jenny Strong is come to visit us. She came in the morning of to-day.
She came on the logging train. She brought her bags with her. The
mamma did send me to meet her at the meeting of the roads. The bags,
they were heavy to carry, and my arms got some tired. As we did go
along, in-between times I did look looks at Jenny Strong. There is
so much of interest about her. The gray curls about her face did
have the proper look she wants them to have. To get that proper
look she does them up on curl-papers. I have seen her so do when
she was come to visit us before. And this morning her plump cheeks
were roses. And all her plumpness did most fill the gray dresses
she was wearing. Jenny Strong has little ruffles around the neck
of that dress, like the little ruffles that was around the neck of
the man with the glove when Titian made his picture. Those ruffles
on the neck of the gray dress of Jenny Strong did look like it was
their joy to cuddle up against the back of her black bonnet.
That black bonnet has a pink rosebud on it, and every time that Jenny
Strong does give her head a nod, that pink rosebud does give itself
a nod. It must be interest to be a pink rosebud on a black bonnet
that Jenny Strong wears. When we were come to the gate Jenny Strong
did hold her cape and her gray dress up in a careful way. She had
blue stockings on, and they was fastened up with pink ribbons. She
went on while I did shut the gate. I did come after. I could not
come after in a quick way because the bags was heavy. Pretty soon
Jenny Strong did have seeing I was not there beside her, and she did
wait waits for me a little while, and I did come to where she was.
We went on. The way was dampness near the singing creek and Jenny
Strong did take dainty steps as we did go along. Lars Porsena of
Clusium did come to meet us. And so came Brave Horatius. And Lars
Porsena of Clusium did perch upon his back. We went on. The pink
rosebud on the black bonnet of Jenny Strong did nod itself twelve
times as we did go along. When we were come near unto the house,
there was a rooster by our front door. He was strutting along. He
was that same rooster that I tied a slice of bacon around his neck
this morning because he had queer actions in the throat. When Jenny
Strong saw him strutting along with the bacon wrapped around his
throat, she did turn her head to the side with a delicate cough.
After Jenny Strong took off her cape and her black bonnet with the
pink rosebud on it, I did pull the best rocking-chair out in the
middle of the room for her. She sat down in it and she did start to
have talks with the mamma. I did go to teeter the baby on the bed
as the mamma did say for me to do. Jenny Strong did rock big rocks
in that rocking-chair while she did talk. One time she did almost
rock over. She breathed a big breath. Then, that she might not rock
over again, I did put a stick of wood under the rocker. That helped
some. But, too, it did keep her from rocking. She went on talking.
I went back to the bed to teeter the baby. While I did teeter the
baby I did look looks out the window. In a bush that I do tie pieces
of suet to, there was a little gray bird with a black cap and his
throat it was black. He was a fluffy ball and he almost did turn
himself upside-down on that branch. Then he went a go-away. Only a
little way he went. Then he was with more like himself. They went
on together.
By and by the mamma’s baby did go to sleep, and I climbed off the
bed and made a start to go to the nursery. Jenny Strong did ask me
where I was going. I did tell her. She said she thought she would
like to go with me. We did go out the door. Then I ran a quick run
back to get her black bonnet with the pink rosebud on it. I brought
it to her. She said, being as I did bring it to her, she would wear
it, but she had not in tent chuns to when we started. She had forgot
it. But I did n’t have forgets. I do so like to see that pink rosebud
nod itself.
We went on. We went a little way down the path. Then I did go aside.
Jenny Strong did follow after me. She came over the little logs in
a slow way. I did make stops to help her. The pink rosebud on the
black bonnet did nod itself fifteen times on the way. I did count
its times. When we were come to the nursery, first I did show her
the many baby seeds I did gather by the wayside in the falltime. I
did tell her how I was going to plant them when come springtime.
She did nod her head. Every time she so did, the pink rosebud on
the black bonnet did nod itself.
After I told her most all about the seeds, I did show her the silk
bags with spider eggs in them. Then I did show her all the cradles
the velvety caterpillars did make at falltime. I did give her
explainings how butterflies and moths would be a-coming out of the
cradles when springtime was come. She looked concentration looks at
them. She gave her head some more nods and the pink rosebud on the
black bonnet gave itself some more nods. I moved on to where the
wood-mouse folks are. I was just going to show her what a nice nose
and little hands Nannerl Mozart has, and what a velvety mouse Felix
Mendelssohn is. When I did turn about to so do, there was Jenny
Strong going in funny little hops over the logs. She was going in
a hurry way to the house.
I did have a wonder why was it she so went. I gave Felix Mendelssohn
more pats and I put him in my apron pocket. And Nannerl Mozart did
curl up in the bed I have fixed for her in the nursery. Then I did
sing a lullaby song to all the wood-mice in the nursery. And they
are a goodly number. I did sing to them the song La Nonette sings
as it goes on its way to Oise.
Then I did go through the near woods to the mill by the far woods.
I so did go to see the man that wears gray neckties and is kind to
mice. When he had seeing that I was come by the big tree, he did say
in his gentle way, “What is it, little one? Is Thomas Chatterton
Jupiter Zeus not well?” “Oh, yes,” I said, “he is most well and
he did have likes for that piece of cheese you did give to him on
yesterday. He is a most lovely wood-rat, and what I have come to
tell you about is, we got company. She has a fondness for pinkness.
Her name is Jenny Strong. And she has a pink rosebud on her black
bonnet and ties her blue stockings up with pink ribbons.”
And then I did ask him if he did not have thinks a pink ribbon would
be nice for Thomas Chatterton Jupiter Zeus to wear on some days--on
days when he goes to cathedral service with me. And, too, I did tell
him how I did have thinks a pink ribbon would be nice for William
Shakespeare and Felix Mendelssohn and Lars Porsena of Clusium and
Brave Horatius.
The man that wears gray neckties and is kind to mice did have thinks
like my thinks. He did say for me to go write the fairies about it.
And I did. I did write it on a gray leaf. I put the gray leaf in a
moss-box at the end of an old log near unto the altar of Saint Louis.
The man that wears gray neckties and is kind to mice knows about
that moss-box where I do put letters for the fairies. He believes in
fairies, too. And we talk about them. He does ask me what I write
to them about and what things I have needs for them to bring. I do
tell him, and when the fairies do leave the things at the end of the
old log, I do take and show them to the man that wears gray neckties
and is kind to mice. He is so glad. He does believe in fairies, too.
As I did come back through the near woods, I did stop by some grand
fir trees to pray. When one does look looks up at the grand trees
growing up almost to the sky, one does always have longings to pray.
When I did come on, I did hear the mamma calling. When I was come
to the door, she made me go stand in the corner of the wood-shed.
Soon she came out. She did shut the door tight behind her. Then she
did ask me what for was it I gave Jenny Strong such a scare, and
she did spank me most hard. Now I have sore feels and I have thinks
it would be nice to have a cushion to sit on. And I do have wonders
what it was Jenny Strong got scares about. I think grown-ups are
queer sometimes.
When I did go into the house, all the scares was gone off Jenny
Strong. The mamma soon did make me to go under the bed. Here I print.
Jenny Strong sits by the fire. She does sit in a rocking-chair with
her feet propped up on a soap-box. She hums as she sits. She crochets
as she hums. She does make lace in a quick way.
Now Jenny Strong and the mamma is gone to the house of Elsie to see
the new baby. When she did go, the mamma did tell me to put the baby
to sleep. I so did. I did sing it to sleep in the rocking-chair. I
did sing it the _Rivière_ and _Fleuve_ song: “A is for Adour, Avre,
Ain, Aube, Arroux, and Allier.” When I did get to “D is for Douze
and Dordogne and Durance,” the baby did move its arm. When I did get
to “G is for Garonne and Gers and Gard,” the baby did open its eyes.
When I did get to “I is for Indre, and Isère and Iraouaddy,” it did
close its eyes. I did sing on. And sleeps did come upon the baby.
We had lots on the table to eat to-night, because Jenny Strong is
come. And most everything I did get to eat I did make divides of it
for my animal friends. They will all have a good share. And they will
be glad. There is enough for all to have a good amount to eat, which
often is n’t. I did feel a goodly amount of satisfaction sitting
there at the supper-table to-night for a little time. I was thinking
how glad the mice will be for the corn I have saved for them; and
too Brave Horatius will have good feels in his mouth when he sees
that big bone. And the birds will like all the scraps that are on
the plate of Jenny Strong if I can get them before the mamma gives
them to that big gray cat.
I have seeings that the folks, they are almost through eating. I
now am not at the table. I was only there for a very little while. I
now am under the bed. The mamma did send me away from the table--it
seems a long time ago. She did send me away from the table because
when Jenny Strong asked me if I liked her dress, I said, “Yes, and
the ruffles around your neck are like the ruffles around the neck of
the man with the glove, when Titian made his picture.” Jenny Strong
looked a queer look and she said to the mamma, “What a naughty child!”
The mamma did straightway tell me to crawl under the bed and to stay
there. I so am. I have feels Jenny Strong has not had seeing of the
picture of the man with the glove that Titian did make. I thought
it was nice to tell her her ruffles were like his. They did look
so nice.
I have wonders about folks. They are hard to understand. I think I
will just say a little prayer. My, I do have such hungry feels now.
They at the table are not through yet. I make swallows down my throat.
It is most hard not to eat what I have saved for my animal friends.
But they will like it--so I can wait waits until breakfast-time. I
can. In-between times I will have thinks and prayers.