_Why it Was that the Girl who Has no Seeing Was not at Home when
Opal Called._
Now is the fourth day come. And we are going goes to the house of
the girl who has no seeing. All the morning hours there was works
to do to help the mamma. Afternoon is now come and we go.
We did. First I did make begins to get us all together. Brave
Horatius was waiting by the back steps. Lars Porsena of Clusium
was near unto him. Lucian Horace Ovid Virgil was under the front
doorstep. Thomas Chatterton Jupiter Zeus was back of the house in
his home of sticks that he does have likes for. I did help Thomas
Chatterton Jupiter Zeus to build that home. I had sees in the woods
of how other wood-rats do have their houses builded of sticks and
some sticks and some more sticks. To-day, when I did squeak calls
for Thomas Chatterton Jupiter Zeus to come out of his house, he did
come out, and he did crawl up on my shoulder and cuddle his nose up
close to my curls.
We made a start. We went by the nursery to get Nannerl Mozart. We
went on. Menander Euripides Theocritus Thucydides was playing close
by the pasture-bars. He is a very jumpy lamb. He did jump a long
jump to meet us to-day, and his tail did wiggle more wiggles. We
went adown the lane. We made a stop to get Solomon Grundy, and his
little sister Anthonya Mundy, that has not got as much curl in her
tail as Solomon Grundy. We went out along the road. They were a sweet
picture. I made a stop to look at them all--some running ahead and
some behind. They all did wear their pink ribbons that the fairies
did bring. Solomon Grundy and Anthonya Mundy and Menander Euripides
Theocritus Thucydides all did wear divides of the ribbon that was
the ribbon that dear William Shakespeare used to wear. And they all
did have joy feels as they had knows they were going on a visit to
visit the girl that has no seeing. She has love for them. And we
did go in a hurry on. I did feel a big amount of satisfaction that
I have such a nice family.
Lars Porsena of Clusium did ride most of the way on the back of Brave
Horatius. His appears are not what they were before he did lose his
tail-feathers. I am praying prayers every day for him to get a new
tail soon. When we were all come near to the house of the girl that
has no seeing, we did walk right up to the door. And I stepped three
steps back and three hops over and three steps up to the door, so she
would have knows we was come. We had knows only she would be there
because this day is the going-to-town day of her people. I stepped
more steps. Brave Horatius barked more barks for her coming. And
Solomon Grundy squealed his most nice baby-pig squeal. We did listen
listens. She had not coming to the door. I sat on the steps to wait
waits. I so did for some time long. While we did have waits, I did
sing to Brave Horatius and Solomon Grundy and all of them songs of
Nonette and Iraouaddy and more songs Angel Father did teach me to
sing of birds of _oncle_ what did have going away, of _roitelet,
ortolan, bruant, épervier, rousserolle, tourterelle, farlouse,
ramier, aigle, nonnette, chardonneret, orfraie, ibis, rossignol,
loriot, ortolan, ibis, sansonnet, pinson, hirondelle, ibis, lanier,
ibis, pic, pivoine, épeiche, faisan, étourneau, roitelet, draine,
ibis, nonnette, aigle, niverolle, durbec, aigle, roitelet, ibis,
étourneau, draine, ortolan, roitelet, loriot, émerillon, aigle,
niverolle, sarcelle_. All my pets do have likes for those songs.
To-day Brave Horatius did bark a bark when I was done and Solomon
Grundy did squeal his baby-pig squeal again. I had wonders why she
did not come.
After by-and-by I did go sit on the gate-post to wait waits. It was
a long time. A man on a horse went by. Another man went by. He had
asks what for was I sitting on the gate-post. I did tell him I was
waiting waits for the coming of the girl that has no seeing. He did
look away off to the hills. Then he started to say something but he
swallowed it. He looked off to the hills again. Then he did say,
“Child, she won’t come back. She is gone to the graveyard.”
I did smile a sorry smile upon him because I had knows he did n’t
know what he was talking about when he did say she won’t come back.
It is not often she goes anywhere, and when she does, she always
does come back. I told him I knew she would come back. I waited some
more waits. Then it was time for my pets to be going back because
it would not do for the chore boy not to find Solomon Grundy and
Anthonya Mundy in the pig-pen. I will go goes again to-morrow to see
the girl that has no seeing, for I have knows she will come again
home to-night in starlight-time.
When Solomon Grundy and Anthonya Mundy did have their pink ribbons
off and was again in the pig-pen, the rest of us did have going to
the cathedral for songs and prayers. I did pray that the girl that
has no seeing may not stub her toe and fall when she comes home
to-night by starlight-time. And Brave Horatius did bark Amen.
* * * * *
Early on this morning I went again to the house of the girl who has
no seeing. There were little singings everywhere--sky and hills and
the willows were whispering little whispers by Nonette. I went in
a quick way down along the lane and in along the fields, until I
was come near unto her house. I cuddled Thomas Chatterton Jupiter
Zeus more close in my arms, and I tiptoed on the grass. Menander
Euripides Theocritus Thucydides did make little jumps beside me.
And Brave Horatius came a-following after.
I made a stop by the window that I always do make stops by and I
rapped six raps on the window-pane. Six raps means “Come on out--we
are come.” I had no hears of her steps a-coming like they always do.
I put my hands above my eyes so I could see inside the window. She
was not there. Nobody was. I did tap six more raps. She did not come.
I went on around by the lilac bush. I crawled in under it to wait
waits for her coming. Two men were talking by the fence. One did
say, “It is better so.” I had wonders what did he mean. The other
man did say, “A pit tea it was she could n’t have had a little sight
to see that brush-fire ahead.” And I had hears of the other one say,
“Probably the smell of the smoke caused her worry about the fire
coming to the house, and probably she was trying to find out where
it was when she walked right into it.” And the other man did have
asks if she was con chus after. And the other one did say, “Yes.”
I listened more listens to their queer talk. I had wonders what did
it all mean. Another man did come in the gate. He came to where they
was. He put his hand on a fence-post. There was a green caterpillar
close by him on a bush, but he had not seeing of it. He did begin
to talk. First thing he said was, “When Jim went by here last even,
that child was sitting on the gate-post. She was waiting for her to
come back.” He said more; he said, “Jim told her she was gone to
the graveyard, but she said she knew she would come back.”
Why, that was what I told that man. It all did sound queer. I heard
them say some more. Then I had understanding. I had knows then it
was the girl that has no seeing they was having talks about, because
I was waiting waits for her on yesterday when the man did tell me
that. I felt queerness in my throat and I could n’t see either. I
could n’t see the green caterpillar on the leaf by the man that said
it. And Thomas Chatterton Jupiter Zeus had looks like a gray cloud
in my arms.
More the men said. They talked it all over again. They said she
smelled the smoke of the brush-fire, and not having sees of it, she
did walk right into it and all her clothes did have fire; and then
she ran, and her running did make the fire to burn her more--and she
stubbed her toe and fell. She fell in a place where there was mud
and water. She was rolling in it when they found her. And all the
fire-pains that was did make her moan moans until hours after, when
she died. They say she died. And I could n’t see Thomas Chatterton
Jupiter Zeus or Brave Horatius or anything then.
When after a while I did come again the way that goes to the house
we live in, I did have sees of the little fleurs along the way that
she so did love. I have thinks they were having longings for her
presence. And I so was too. But I do have thinks her soul will come
again to the woods. And she will have sees of the blooming of the
fleurs in the field she has loves for. I go now to write a message
on a leaf for her like I do to Angel Father and Angel Mother. I will
put one by the ferns, and I will tie one to a branch of the singing
fir tree. And I will pray that the angels may find them when they
come a-walking in the woods. Then they will carry them up to her in
heaven there.