_How Opal and Brave Horatius Go on Explores and Visit the
Hospital.--How the Mamma Dyes Clothes and Opal Dyes Clementine._
My legs do feel some tired this eventime. I’ve been most everywhere
to-day. I so have been going to tell the plant-folks and the
flower-folks and the birds about this day being the going-away day
of one William Shakespeare in 1616. Before yet breakfast-time was
come, I did go to the cathedral to say prayers of thanks for all
the writings he did write. With me did go Brave Horatius and Lars
Porsena of Clusium and Thomas Chatterton Jupiter Zeus and Lucian
Horace Ovid Virgil.
When we were come again to the house, they did wait waits while I did
go to do the morning works. After the morning works were done, I did
put pieces of bread and butter in papers in my pockets for all of
us. I put some milk in the bottle for Menander Euripides Theocritus
Thucydides. He was waiting waits for me by the pasture-bars. He is a
most woolly lamb. He was glad for his breakfast and he was glad to
have knows about this day. While I was telling them all there what
day this is, Plutarch Demosthenes made a little jump onto a little
stump. He looked a look about and made a jump-off. Sophocles Diogenes
came a-following after. They both did make some more jumps. Their
ways are ways of playfulness. They are dear lambs.
While I was telling them all, Menander Euripides Theocritus Thucydides
did in some way get the nipple off his bottle, and the rest of
the milk did spill itself out the bottle. I hid the bottle away
by a rock. Menander Euripides Theocritus Thucydides did follow me
after. He does follow me many wheres I do go to. We went all on.
We saw fleurs and I did stop moments to have talks with them. I
looked for other fleurs that I had longs to see. Everywhere that
we did go I did look looks for _teverin_ and yellow _éclaire_ and
pink _mahonille_ and _mauve_ and _morgeline_. When Brave Horatius
had askings in his eyes for what I was looking, I did give to him
explanations. He looked looks back at me from his gentle eyes. In
his looks he did say, they are not hereabout. We went on. We went to
forêt d’Ermenonville and forêt de Chantilly. We went adown Lounette
to where it flows into Nonette--and we went on. Everywhere there
were little whisperings of earth-voices. They all did say of the
writes of William Shakespeare. And there were more talkings. I lay
my ear close to the earth where the grasses grew close together.
I did listen. The wind made ripples on the grass as it went over.
There were voices from out the earth. And the things of their saying
were the things of gladness of growing. And there was music. And in
the music there was sky-twinkles and earth-tinkles. That was come
of the joy of living. I have thinks all the grasses growing there
did feel glad feels from the tips of their green arms to their toe
roots in the ground.
And Brave Horatius and the rest of us did n’t get home until after
supper-time. The folks was gone to the house of Elsie. I made a hunt
for some supper for Brave Horatius. I found some and I put it in his
special dish. Then I came again into the house to get some bread and
milk. There was a jar of blackberry jam on the cook-table. It had
interest looks. Just when I happened to be having all my fingers
in the jar of blackberry-jam, there was rumblings of distress come
from the back yard. I climbed onto the flour barrel and looked a
look out the window. There near unto my chum’s special supper-dish
sat the pet crow with top-heavy appears. There was reasons for his
forlorn looks, for Brave Horatius had advanced to the rear of Lars
Porsena of Clusium and pulled out his tail-feathers.
I have had no case like this before. I felt disturbs. I had not
knowings what to do for it. I had some bandages and some mentholatum
in my pocket. I took Lars Porsena of Clusium--all that was left
of him with his tail-feathers gone--and I sat down on the steps.
First I took some mentholatum and put it on a piece of bandage. I
put the piece of bandage onto Lars Porsena of Clusium where his
tail-feathers did come out. Then I did take the long white bandage in
the middle, and I did wrap it about Lars Porsena of Clusium from back
to front--in under his wings and twice on top, so the bandage would
stay in place on the end of him where his tail-feathers came out.
Then I did make a start to the hospital. I did have wonders how long
the needs would be for Lars Porsena of Clusium to be there before
his tail would grow well again. I only did have going a little way
when I did meet with the man that wears gray neckties and is kind to
mice. He looked a look at me and he looked a look at Lars Porsena of
Clusium in my arms. Then he did have askings why was it Lars Porsena
was in bandages. I told him explanations all about it. He pondered
on the matter. Then he picked me and Lars Porsena up and set us down
on a stump. He told me there was no needs for me to have wonders
about how long the need would be for Lars Porsena of Clusium to be
in the hospital with bandages on him. He did talk on in his gentle
way of how it is birds that do lose their tail-feathers do grow them
on again. He so said and I did have understanding.
Then he did take up Lars Porsena of Clusium in his arms. And he
unwrapped him from front to back and back to front. When the bandage
was all off him, Lars Porsena of Clusium did give himself a stretch
and his wings a little shake. And I said a little prayer for his
getting well and a new tail soon. And the man that wears gray
neckties and is kind to mice said Amen. Then we came home.
* * * * *
To-day was dyeing day. The mamma dyed. She dyed clothes--old ones.
First she washed them in the tub. Then she put them in the boiler on
the stove. In the boiler was beautiful blue water. I know because I
climbed on the stove-hearth and peeked in. The mamma did n’t make
this water blue with balls like she does the rench water for the
clothes on wash-days. She made this water blue with stuff out of
an envelope. I had sees of her tear its corner off, and the blue
little specks came out of that envelope in a quick way. The specks
so did come in a more hurry way when she did give the envelope some
shakes. All the clothes the mamma did carry from the wash-tub to
the boiler--all those clothes was blue when she took them out; and
afterwards the blue was yet with them and they hung upon the line.
I see them quiver blue quivers when the wind blows.
After she did hang them there on the line, the mamma did leave the
boiler of dye-blue water on the stove. And she is gone goes to the
house of her mother by the meeting of the roads. She told me to
watch the house and let the fire go out. It so is gone a long time
ago, and I keep watch. The blue water in the boiler has cold feels
now. I stood upon the stove and I put my arm way down in it, and it
was coldness. First I did only touch touches on the water with my
finger. It was warmness then. That was just when the mamma did go.
She is hours and hours gone now. I have been keeping watches of
the house like she did say for me to do when she went away. And
in-between times I have been reading reads in the books Angel Mother
and Angel Father did write in. I have been screwtineyesing the spell
of words. Now I am going to have dyeing day like the mamma did have
on this morning. It is so much of fun to lift things up and down in
blue water. On wash-days the mamma has me to do it much. She calls
it renching the clothes. When it’s blue water in a boiler, it’s
dyeing them.
I have been dyeing like the mamma dyed this morning. First I did dye
the mamma’s bag of blueing balls. That bag was getting pale looks.
Next I did dip in the mamma’s clothes-pin bag. It was brownness
before. I have not sure feels yet what color it is going to be since
it has had its dye. I took all the clothes-pins out first. Then I
did give them all a dip. They did bob about in a funny way. I made
whirls in the dye-blue water with my fingers, so the clothes-pins
would make some more bobs. It was very nice, standing there on top
the cook-stove watching the bobs they made in the boiler.
Then I made a start to dye handles. First I dipped in the
butcher-knife handle. Then I did give the dipper-handle a dip. I had
carefuls to make it go only half-way. Then I did give the handle
of the potato-masher a dip. And I gave the hammer-handle a dip in
the dye-blue water.
Clementine came in a walk up step on the back porch. She looked a
look in. She is such a friendly Plymouth Rock hen. She walked right
into our house and came in a hop up by the dye-blue water. She so
does like my blue calico apron. She hops up on my knee when I sit
down to talk to the chickens in the chicken park. I had thinks being
as she has likes for my blue calico apron she would have likes for
blue feathers; so I did give her a gentle dip in the dye-blue water
and two more. She walked right out our front door without even a
thank chuckle. I never had knows of her to do so before. The dye-blue
water was waiting waits.
Next I dipped the Plymouth Rock rooster in. He did object to being
dyed blue. He was quite fidgety. I had decides not to coax any more
folks from the chicken yard to get dyed blue feathers. I looked
looks about the house we live in. I had seeing of a box of matches
the mamma did leave on a chair in the bedroom. The mamma has said I
must n’t touch a box of matches on the cupboard shelf. And I don’t.
But she did n’t say I must n’t touch them when she leaves them on
a chair. So I have took the box of matches and it has had its dip.
It has a limp feel. I have put it on the back steps to get its form
again. And all the matches that was in the box have had their dips
in the dye-blue water. I have laid them in rows on the grass to
have a dry.
And now I do have thinks how nice it will be on next time when
dyeing day is come if the mamma does have seeing as how I could be
helps--being as I now do have so much knowing of the ways of dyeing.
I have thinks a big amount of helps I could be. Now while the things
I have dyed do dry, I am going goes to the cathedral to have a long
service there, for this is the borning day of Saint Louis in 1215.
And many wheres there is needs for me to go to tell the plant-folk
all about this being the day of his borning. And too it is the
borning day of Oliver Cromwell in 1599, and the borning day of Padre
Martini in 1706, and it is the going-away day of Torquato Tasso in
1595. The winds sing of these. And the great pine tree is saying a
poem about this day.