_How Opal Names Names of the Lambs of Aidan of Iona, and Seeks for
the Soul of Peter Paul Rubens._
To-day was a very stormy day--more rainy than other stormy days. So
we had cathedral service on the hay in the barn. Mathilde Plantagenet
was below us in her stall, and she did moo moos while I did sing the
choir-service. Plato and Pliny, the two bats, hung on the rafters
in a dark corner. Lars Porsena of Clusium perched on the back of
Brave Horatius. Thomas Chatterton Jupiter Zeus sat at my feet and
munched leaves while I said prayers. Lucian Horace Ovid Virgil was
on my right shoulder, and Louis II, le Grand Condé, was on my left
shoulder--part of the time; then he did crawl in my sleeve to have
a sleep. Solomon Grundy was asleep by my side in his christening
robe, and a sweet picture he was in it. On my other side was his
little sister, Anthonya Mundy, who has not got as much curl in her
tail as has Solomon Grundy.
Clementine, the Plymouth Rock hen, was late come to service. She came
up from the stall of the gentle Jersey cow just when I was through
singing “Hosanna in excelsis.” She came and perched on the back of
Brave Horatius, back of Lars Porsena of Clusium. Then I said more
prayers, and Brave Horatius did bark Amen. When he so did, Clementine
tumbled off his back. She came over by me. I had thinks it would
be nice if her pretty gray feathers were blue. I gave her a gentle
pat and then I did begin the talk service. I did use for my text,
“Blessed be the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” And all of
the time the raindrops did made little joy patters on the roof. They
were coming down from the sky in a quick way.
* * * * *
Now is the begins of the borning-time of the year. I did hurry home
from school in a quick way in the afternoon of this day. Aidan of
Iona come from Lindisfarne has said I may name the little lambs that
now are coming. All day I did have thinks about what names to call
them by. There are some names I do so like to sing the spell of. Some
names I do sing over and over again when I do go on explores. I could
hardly wait waits until school-getting-out time. I had remembers how
Sadie McKibben says no child should grow a day old without having a
name. Now some of those dear baby lambs are two and three days old
since their borning-time.
When I was come to where was Aidan of Iona come from Lindisfarne,
I did tell him now I have come to name all your lambs. He did have
one little lamb in his arms. He did tell me as how it was it did
n’t belong to anyone, and it was lonesome without a mother. He said
he had thinks he would give it to me to mother. I was so happy.
It was very white and very soft and its legs was slim and it had
wants for a mother. It had likes for me to put my arms around it. I
did name it first of all. I called it Menander Euripides Theocritus
Thucydides. It had likes for the taste of my fingers when I did
dip them into the pan of milk on the rock and then put them in its
mouth. Its woolly tail did wiggle joy wiggles. And I did dance on
my toes. I felt such a big amount of satisfaction feels--having a
lamb to mother.
I am getting quite a big family now. After I did dip my fingers in
the milk for Menander Euripides Theocritus Thucydides, I was going
goes to see about getting a brandy bottle somewhere and a nipple,
so this baby lamb could have a bottle to nurse like other babies
hereabouts. When I did make a start to go, Aidan of Iona come from
Lindisfarne did say, “You are not going away before you name the
others, are you?” Of course I was not, and he said Menander Euripides
Theocritus Thucydides was full up of milk for to-day, and I could
bring his bottle on the morrow.
Then I did make begins to name the other lambs. They were dear and
so dear. First one I did come to I did name Plutarch Demosthenes;
the next one I did name Marcus Aurelius. And one came close by Aidan
of Iona come from Lindisfarne, and I called it Epicurus Pythagoras.
One did look a little more little than the others: I called him
Anacreon Herodotus. One was more big than all the others. I named
him Homer Archimedes Chilon. He gave his tail a wiggle and came
close to his mother. One had a more short tail and a question look
in his eyes. I called him Sophocles Diogenes. And one more I called
Periander Pindar, and one was Solon Thales, and the last one of all
that had not yet a name, I did call him Tibullus Theognis. He was
a very fuzzy lamb and he had very long legs.
The shepherd did have likes for the names I did give to his little
lambs, and the names I did give to his sheep a long time ago. And
to-day, when he did tell me how he did have likes for their names,
I did tell him how I have likes for them too, and how I have thinks
to learn more about them when I do grow up more tall. I told him
how I did sing the spell of the words to the fishes that live in
the singing creek where the willows grew. After I said good-bye
to all the other lambs, I did kiss Menander Euripides Theocritus
Thucydides on the nose. I have thinks every eventime I will kiss
him good-night, because maybe he does have lonesome feels too, and
maybe he does have longs for kisses like the longs I do have for
them every night-time.
Before I was come to the house we do live in, I did make a stop by
the singing creek where the willows grow. I did print a message
on a leaf. It was for the soul of William Shakespeare. I tied it
on a willow branch. Then I did go by the cathedral to say thank
prayers for Menander Euripides Theocritus Thucydides. And I did have
remembers that this was the going-away day of Reine Marie Amélie
in 1866 and Queen Elizabeth in 1603. And I did say a thank prayer
for the goodness of them. It was near dark-time. There were little
whispers in the woods and shadows with velvet fingers. I did sing,
“Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus, Dominus Deus.”
Before I did come on to the house we live in, I did go aside to have
sees of a cream lily that has its growing near unto the cathedral. I
have watched the leafing of that lily, and I have watched its budding.
A long time I have had thinks about it. To-day its blooming-time
was come. There it was. I went close unto it. My soul was full of
thank feels. Ever since the day when Peter Paul Rubens did go away,
I have looked for his soul in tree-tops and all about. Now I have
knows his soul does love to linger by this lily. I did kneel by it
and say a thank prayer for the blooming of this fleur. Peter Paul
Rubens’s soul does love to linger near. If ever I go from here, I
will take with me this lily plant. I did have feels that my dear
Peter Paul Rubens was very near this eventime.
* * * * *
To-day is more rain come again. I like rain. I like the music patters
it does make. I like to have feels of it on my head. When it rains,
I like to go barefooted. I like to feel the clean mud by the lane
ooze up between my toes. When I did see the rain coming down in so
fast a way, I did go to the barn. And after I did have them off,
I did put my shoes and stockings in the hay. I went out to talk
with Michael Angelo Sanzio Raphael about this day being the borning
day of Sanzio Raphael in 1483. Then I came down by the lane. I was
so glad to have my shoes and stockings off. The feel was so good.
Having my shoes and stockings off made my heels feel like they were
getting wings.
I went up and down the lane. Brave Horatius came a-following after.
I had thinks to go see how was Minerva in the hen-house. I saw her
feathers were more fluffy, and there was some more heads than hers
in her nest. There was the heads of the little chickens I did pick
out names for before they was yet hatched. And now I cannot tell
them apart. Minerva had one baby chicken to hatch four days ago, and
one baby chicken three days ago, and one more baby chicken two days
ago. I heard the grandpa say it was a puzzle what was making that
hen to have her chickens begin hatching so soon and then no more to
hatch until to-day. Too, I have thinks it is a puzzle. But any way
she is going to have fifteen chickens, because that day a little
time ago I took one egg each from those hens that was set before
she was, so Minerva would have the fifteen children I had already
picked out names for.
I did tell Minerva again the names I did pick out for all her
children before they was yet hatched. I told her Edmund Spenser and
John Fletcher and Francis Beaumont and Jean Racine and Sir Walter
Raleigh and Jean Molière and Sir Francis Bacon and Nicholas Boileau
and Sir Philip Sidney and Jean de la Fontaine and Ben Jonson and
Oliver Goldsmith and Cardinal Richelieu and Samuel Taylor Coleridge
and Pius VII. And Minerva had joy feels when I did tell her, and
she ate all the grain in my hand while I was telling her.
Minerva is a very nice hen and it is so nice she has so many children
at once. I so do like to pick out names for children. Now I have
thinks there is needs for me to hurry to get those christening robes
done for her children, being as they are hatching now. On the day
of their christening I will carry them in a little basket to the
cathedral. There is needs to carry little chickens in a basket, for
they are delicate. To-day I did show Minerva the little cap with
ruffles on it that I have just made for her to wear to the cathedral
at their christening. I made it like Jenny Strong’s morning-cap with
ruffles on it.
After I did talk some more with Minerva, and she did chuckle some
more chuckles, I did make a start to go to the cathedral to have a
thank service for the borning of Sanzio Raphael in 1483. As I did
go, I went aside to the pig-pen. Every time my way goes near to the
way that goes to the pig-pen I do go that way. I so go to take a
peep at Aphrodite. She does have such a motherly look with those
dear baby-pigs about her. How nice it must be to be a mother-pig.
It must be a big amount of satisfaction, having so many babies at
one time.