_How Solomon Grundy Falls Sick and Grows Well again; and Minerva’s
Chickens are Christened; and the Pensée Girl, with the Far-Away Look
in her Eyes, Finds Thirty-and-Three Bunches of Flowers._
To-day I went not to school. For a long time after breakfast the
mamma did have me to cut potatoes into pieces. To-night and to-morrow
night the grown-ups will plant the pieces of potatoes I cut to-day.
Then by-and-by--after some long time--the pieces of potato with
eyes on them will have baby potatoes under the ground. Up above the
ground they will be growing leaves and flowers. One must leave an
eye on every piece of potato one plants in the ground to grow. It
won’t grow if you don’t. It can’t see how to grow without its eye.
All day to-day I did be careful to leave an eye on every piece.
And I did have meditations about what things the eyes of potatoes
do see there in the ground. I have thinks they do have seeing of
black velvet moles and large earthworms that do get short in a quick
way. And potato flowers above the ground do see the doings of the
field--and maybe they do look away and see the willows that grow by
the singing creek. I do wonder if potato plants do have longings to
dabble their toes. I have supposes they do just like I do. Being
a potato must be interest--specially the having so many eyes. I
have longings for more eyes. There is much to see in this world all
about. Every day I do see beautiful things everywhere I do go.
To-day it was near eventime--the time I did have all those potatoes
ready for plants. Then I did go to see Solomon Grundy in the pig-pen.
I did take a sugar-lump in my apron pocket for his dear mother,
Aphrodite. She had appreciations and well looks. But the looks of
Solomon Grundy--they were not well looks. He did lay so still in a
quiet way. I gave to him three looks. I felt a lump come in my throat.
His looks they were so different. I made a run for the wood-box--the
wood-box I did bring before for the getting-in of Brave Horatius to
service in the pig-pen. I did step on it in getting Solomon Grundy
out of the pig-pen. I did have fears if I did it in jumps, as I
always do, the jumps might bother the feelings of Solomon Grundy.
So I did have needs for that box. It is such a help. Every time I
do get a place fixed in the pig-pen so some of the pigs can get out
to go to walks and to go to the cathedral service, the grown-ups at
the ranch-house do always fix the boards back again. So a box is
helps to get the little pigs that are n’t too big over the top.
When I did have Solomon Grundy over the top, I did cuddle him up in
my gray calico apron. I have thinks he does like the blue one best.
But to-day he had not seeings it was n’t the blue one I had on. He
did not give his baby squeaks. He was only stillness. I did have
fears that sickness was upon him. He has lost that piece of asfiditee
I did tie around his neck the other day. That was the last piece I
did have. It was the little piece that was left of the big piece
that the mamma did tie around my neck, and I did make divides with
my friends. But Solomon Grundy--he has lost his share both times.
He does lose it in a quick way. And I did have no Castoria to give
him, because the mamma has gone and put away the baby’s bottle of
Castoria where I cannot find it.
I did not have knowings what to do for him. But I did have thinks the
man that wears gray neckties and is kind to mice would have knowings
what to do for the sickness of Solomon Grundy. I made starts to
the mill by the far woods. Brave Horatius was waiting at the barn.
He gave his tail two wags and followed after. We went by Michael
Angelo Sanzio Raphael. I did tell him the baby in my arms was sick.
I said a little prayer over his head. We went along the lane. When
we were come to Good King Edward I and lovely Queen Eleanor, we
made stops. I did tell them of the sickness of the baby. I said a
little prayer for his getting well. And I did hold him up for their
blessing. Then we went on, and Brave Horatius came a-following after.
When we were come to the ending of the lane, I said another little
prayer. Then we went on. When we were come near unto the altar of
Good King Edward I, I said another little prayer. Then we went on.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning was in the woods, and she went with us.
She mostly does so. And we went on.
By-and-by my arms was getting tired. Solomon Grundy, now that he is
older grown, does get a little heavy when I carry him quite a long
ways. When I was come to the far end of the near woods, I met the man
that wears gray neckties and is kind to mice. He smiled the gentle
smile he always does smile, and he took Solomon Grundy into his arms.
I have thinks he did see the tiredness that was in my arms. When
he sat down on a log with the dear pig, I said I had fears Solomon
Grundy was sick. He said he did too. But he smoothed my curls back
and he said, “Don’t you worry; he will get well.” Hearing him say
that made me have better feels.
Men are such a comfort--men that wear gray neckties and are kind
to mice. One I know. He looks kind looks upon the forest and he
does love the grand fir trees that do grow there. I have seen him
stretch out his arms to them just like I do do in the cathedral.
He does have kindness for the little folks that do live about the
grand trees. His ways are ways of gentleness. All my friends have
likes for him, and so had Solomon Grundy. To-day he said he would
take Solomon Grundy back to camp by the mill to his bunk-house. A
warming he did need, so he said, and he said he would wrap him in
his blanket and take care of him until morningtime was come. Then
he did go the way that goes to the far woods and I did go the way
that does go to the cathedral. I so went to have a little thank
service for the getting well of Solomon Grundy. I do have knowings
he will be well when morningtime is come. With me to the cathedral
did go Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Brave Horatius.
* * * * *
This morning before breakfast I did go to the cathedral to say thanks
for the goodness of one William Wordsworth, for this is the day of
his borning in 1770. With me did go Thomas Chatterton Jupiter Zeus.
And Brave Horatius came a-following after.
After the morning’s work was done, I took my little basket most
full of christening robes to the pen-place near the hen-house where
is Minerva and her fourteen baby chickens. One baby chicken did
n’t hatch. I had most enough christening robes ready on yesterday
afternoon but one. When I did go to sing her baby to sleeps, Elsie did
help me to fix that one while I did carry in some wood for her. She
put a little ruffle of lace on it and a little blue bow of ribbon.
It looked very nice. I did have thinks how nice they would look if
all of the christening robes for the baby chickens of Minerva did
have little bows of ribbon on them.
Elsie had asks what was my thoughts about, and I did tell her. And
she did say she had thinks that way too. And she did make a go to
her work-basket that was under the shelf where does set the bottle
of vaseline that her young husband does smooth back his pumpadoor
with. That vaseline jar is most empty again. When Elsie did find
some little ribbons in her work-basket, she did go and raise up the
trunk-lid and she did find some more little ribbons in the tray of
the trunk. She tied them all into little bows. And some were pink
and some were _lavande_ and some were blue and some were rose. There
was enough for every baby chicken to have one on his christening
robe. And I did sew them all on at night-time on yesterday when the
mamma did put me under the bed. Light enough came from the lamp on
the kitchen table so I could have sees to sew them all on.
When we was come near unto the cathedral, I made a stop to put on
their christening-robes. Nicholas Boileau and Jean Molière did have
lavande ribbon bows on theirs. They waited waits in a corner of
the basket while I did put on the others. Sir Walter Raleigh had a
little pink bow on his. He would not keep still while I was getting
him into his robes. He peeped three times. But Sir Francis Bacon was
more fidgety than he was. It took quite a time to get his christening
robe on. Ben Jonson did wear the christening robe with the ruffle
of lace around it, and before I did get him put back in the basket
there, he did catch his toe in that ruffle of lace. Then he peeped.
I took his toe out of the ruffle, and put a christening robe with a
rose ribbon bow on it on Francis Beaumont and one like it on John
Fletcher, because their names was together in the book Angel Mother
did write in.
After I did get little brown Oliver Goldsmith and all the rest of
the children of Minerva into their christening robes, then I did
take out of my pocket her little white cap with the ruffles on it
like the ruffles on the morning-cap of Jenny Strong. I tied it
under Minerva’s bill. She was a sweet picture in it coming down the
cathedral aisle by my side. Minerva is a plump hen of gentle ways.
It is not often she does talk, but she did chuckle all of the time
while her baby chickens was getting christened. Brave Horatius stood
by the altar and Lars Porsena of Clusium did perch upon his back.
Lucian Horace Ovid Virgil did sit on a log close by. And Mathilde
Plantagenet watched from the pasture-bars. Menander Euripides
Theocritus Thucydides did walk by my side when we went goes to have
asks for the blessing of Saint Louis on all Minerva’s baby chickens
after they were christened. Then I did sing “Hosanna in Excelsis.”
And Ben Jonson peeped and so did Francis Beaumont and Pius VII. He
was wiggling so that his christening robe was most off him. I put it
on again. Then I did stop to straighten up Minerva’s cap with the
ruffles on it. It had had a slip-back. Then we had more prayers.
Afterward we all did have goes back to the chicken-yard pen. I took
off Minerva’s cap so it would be clean for cathedral service on
Sundays. Then I put her and all her children back in their pen,
after they did have their christening robes off.
After I did give Minerva some good-bye pats and advices about bringing
up her children, then I did go goes to the house of Sadie McKibben.
Menander Euripides Theocritus Thucydides did walk by my side and
Brave Horatius came a-following after. When I was come to the house
of Sadie McKibben, there was Dear Love. They was glad we was come,
and they had likes for Minerva’s little cap with the ruffles around
it like the morning-cap of Jenny Strong. Dear Love did give Thomas
Chatterton Jupiter Zeus some pats on his nice white paws.
And they did talk on. I did have hears of them saying of the _pensée_
girl with the far-away look in her eyes, that is come again to visit
her aunt of the gray calico dress with the black bow at its neck. I
was glad she is come again. I whispered to Thomas Chatterton Jupiter
Zeus about my glad feels in his left ear. He cuddled up more close.
We listened more listens. Dear Love too did say to Sadie McKibben
as how it is the man of the long step that whistles most all of the
time has great love for the _pensée_ girl with the far-away look
in her eyes; and how it is he is afraid to speak to her about this
great love he has for her. And more Dear Love did say of how it is
he does pick bunches of flowers in the woods for her and then he
does lay them by an old log because he has too shy feels to take
them on to her.
Thomas Chatterton Jupiter Zeus did stick out his right front foot.
I gave it a pat, and I did give him some throat rubs,--that he had
likes for,--and all of the time I was having thinks. I looked looks
out the side window of the house of Sadie McKibben. A white cloud was
sailing in the sky. A little wind was in the woods. It was calling,
“Petite Françoise, come, petite Françoise.” I did tell Dear Love
and Sadie McKibben there was needs for me to hurry away. They did
have understanding, and Sadie McKibben did say it was not long I was
staying to-day, and she would wait waits for my return coming on the
morrow. Dear Love did tell me of the pieces she did find in the top
of her trunk that were waiting waits to be made into christening
robes for little folks that now do have their borning-time. I was
glad, for there is needs of more.
After I did say good-bye, I went goes on to the woods. I did not
follow the trail that does go to the moss-box where I do leave
letters on leaves for the fairies. The wind was calling. I followed
after it. It was not adown the path that does lead to the nursery.
It was calling over logs in the way that does lead to where is that
old log with the bunches of flowers by it and under its edges. They
was the flowers that the man of the long step that whistles most
all of the time did gather for the _pensée_ girl with the far-away
look in her eyes. Some of the bunches of flowers was all faded. It
is days a long time since he did put them there, and it is only a
little time since he did put the last ones there.
I set down on the moss my basket that I did carry Minerva’s baby
chickens to christening in. Then I made begins. First I put some moss
in the basket, then I did put in some of the bunches of flowers. I
put in the most faded ones because they had been waiting waits the
longest. Then we all did go in a hurry to the house of her aunt of
the gray calico dress with the black bow at its neck.
The aunt was not there, and we were glad; but the _pensée_ girl with
the far-away look in her eyes was there. She came to the door when
we did tap upon its handle. I did tell her all in one breath that we
was making begins to bring the flowers that the man of the long step
that whistles most all of the time did gather for her on many days.
We gave her explanations how it was too shy feels he had to bring
them to her himself, so he did lay them by the old log. I told her
as how it was we did bring the most faded ones first because they
was waiting waits the longest; and she did take them all up in her
arms. And I told her my dog’s name was Brave Horatius and he was a
fine dog, and that Thomas Chatterton Jupiter Zeus was a most lovely
wood-rat, and I held out his white paw for her to have feels of;
but he did pull it back and cuddle his nose up close to my curls. I
told her how it was he was shy, too, and when he had knows of her
better he would let her pat his nice white paws.
Then I did take my basket and go goes in a hurry back to get the
flowers. I did carry the next most old ones to her. And she was glad
for them. She was waiting waits for me on the steps of the house of
her aunt of the gray calico dress with the black bow at its neck.
She was ready to go back with us to the log where the flowers was;
and there was joy-lights in her eyes. While we did go along, I did
tell her more about the little animal and bird folks that do live
in the woods and I did tell her about the great love the man of the
long step that whistles most all of the time does have for her.
Quietness was upon her, and we did walk on in a slow way. A beetle
went across the path and a salal bush did nod itself to us. The wind
made little soft whispers, and by-and-by we was come to the log. She
did kneel down by it, and she looked looks for a long time at all
the bunches of flowers. And I did say a little prayer and Thomas
Chatterton Jupiter Zeus did squeak a little squeak. I made counts
of the bunches of flowers, and they were thirty-and-three. I saw a
chipmunk, and I followed him after to see how many stripes he did
have on his back and where was his home; and on the way I saw other
birds and I followed them after on tiptoes to have sees where they
were having goes to. And in the bushes there was a little nest with
four eggs in it with speckles on them. I did have thinks there was
needs for me to pick out names for the little birds that will hatch
out of those eggs. This is a very busy world to live in. There is
much needs for picking out names for things.
I am very happy. I have been to the cathedral to pray again that
the angels will bring a baby to Dear Love soon.