_Of a Cathedral Service in the Pig-Pen.--How the World Looks from
a Man’s Shoulder._
In the morning of to-day, being as I could not get the fence down
about the pig-pen so Aphrodite could get out to go to service in
the cathedral, I did have decides to have cathedral service in the
pig-pen.
I brought large pieces of moss and lovely ferns. I got a wood-box
so Brave Horatius could get in. After he was in the pig-pen, I did
use the box for an altar. I lay moss upon it and ferns about it.
While I was fixing it Lars Porsena did perch on my shoulder and he
stayed there for service. Thomas Chatterton Jupiter Zeus nestled by
my side. Solomon Grundy and Anthonya Mundy, who has n’t as much curl
in her tail as Solomon Grundy--these lay by their mother Aphrodite
and me and all the other little pigs. I sat on a board and Clementine
did perch on the edge of the feeding-trough. In its middle was her
sister hen Andromeda. Felix Mendelssohn did snuggle up in my right
apron pocket. And in the left apron pocket was that lovely toad,
Lucian Horace Ovid Virgil.
After some long time, when we all did get settled down to quietness,
I did start service. It took a long time to get quietness because
the dear folks were n’t used to having cathedral service in the
pig-pen. After the third hymn I did preach the morning sermon. I
did choose for my text: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills.”
I had to peek through the pig-pen fence to do it, for it did have
more tallness than I did have. I lifted most all the congregation
up to have a peek. I did lift them one at a time. And so they saw
and lifted up their eyes unto the hills, but most of them did n’t.
They looked in different ways. Some saw God’s goodness in the grass
and some did see it in the trees, and Thomas Chatterton Jupiter Zeus
did not have seeing for more than for the piece of cheese I did have
hid in my sleeve for him. He gave his cheese squeak. I gave him a
nibble. Then we had prayers.
* * * * *
Rain is come some more. It came all night. And earth is damp again
and things grow more in the garden. Some things grow very fast. Weeds
so do. When the rain did stop having come-downs on this morning, then
the mamma did have me to hoe in between the rows of things that do
grow in the garden. As I did go along, I did have talks with these
folks that grow in the garden there. I did tell them little poems.
And I did sing to them little songs. As I did go along between the
rows, Brave Horatius did follow after. I had thinks about the things
growing there. I wonder if I would get roots like the plants in the
garden, if I planted my feet some inches in the soil and did keep
still quite a time long. I have thinks I will try it some day and
find out.
As I did go on, I did have sees there were earthworms on the
window-panes over the young cabbage-plants. The grown-ups say the
earthworms rained down. They are mistaken. Those earthworms crawled
up. I’ve watched them do it. They were about in many places. I have
been learning things about earthworms. I think being an earthworm
must be an interesting life. I wonder how it feels to stretch out
long and then get short again. I went goes on, to pull weeds by the
bean-folks. I went back some steps to look looks at them. Those
bean-folks in the garden are such climbers. Their thoughts reach up
toward the sky. And they climb up on the poles we put in the garden
there.
By-and-by I saw another earthworm. He was alone. I did have sees
of his movements. I always do see more earthworms after rain. This
one was making himself very long. Lucian Horace Ovid Virgil, too,
did have seeing of that earthworm. I made a stop to see what he
was going to do about it. I did see. He did walk walks around that
earthworm. Then he did take it in a quick way. It was a very big
earthworm, and Lucian Horace Ovid Virgil did have needs to use his
hands to stuff it down his throat. The earthworm made wiggles, and
Lucian Horace Ovid Virgil gave it pushes down his throat.
In afternoon-time, when other works was done, I did take Thomas
Chatterton Jupiter Zeus and Felix Mendelssohn and Lucian Horace Ovid
Virgil with me, and Louis II, le Grand Condé, did have rides in my
sleeve. We went goes to the barn. I made a stop to talk with Michael
Angelo Sanzio Raphael. Then I did go in to play on the hay. I had
hearing of sounds in the stall below. I slid a slide down into the
manger of that stall. There was someone I have never had sees of
before. He had big eyes and a velvet nose, and he was brownish. When
I did land in his manger there, he did look afraid looks. But I just
sat quiet in the corner of the manger and reached out handfuls of
hay to him. I have knows he is that new saw rel horse I have heard
the grandpa at the ranch-house say he was going to get. And now he
is got. I have likes for him. I told him a poem and I did sing him
a song of _fleurs de tante_, of _myosotis et anemone et romarin et
iris et éclaire_. He did have likes for that song, and the bunches
of hay I did hold out to him. And this being the going-away day of
Savonarola in 1498, I have give this new saw rel horse for name
Girolamo Savonarola. I did tell him his name while I did give him
more pats on his velvet nose. I have likes for him.
* * * * *
On yesterday the coffee-pot tipped over on Harold. He had pains--worse
than when the baby has colic. Elsie puts oil on him. When she puts
the oil on him, some of his cries go under the floor and we do not
hear them any more. I feel I have needs of that oil in my hospital.
Three times on this morning I have been on goes to the house of
Elsie to have asks if he is growing well. She says his feels are
better--the oil does make them so. And I yet have more thinks then
there is needs of oil like that oil in my hospital.
When I was coming back from the house of Elsie I did look looks about
as I did go along. I saw a piece of bark. I did turn it over with
care. There were ants. I made a set-down to watch them. Some ants
did carry bundles with queer looks. Big Jud at school says they are
ant eggs. I have not thinks so. They be too big for ant eggs--and I
have remembers that Angel Father did call them _nymphes de fourmis_.
When I was come to the house we live in, there was Lars Porsena of
Clusium walking about on the clean tablecloth that has been put on
for company. And there he was tracking crow-tracks in jam all over
it. I picked him up and the mamma picked me up, and right away she
did spank me for his doing it. The time it did take to wash that
tablecloth was quite a time long. I made little rubs on it where was
the jam-tracks of Lars Porsena of Clusium. When they was all come
out, and it had clean looks that did suit the feels of the mamma,
then she did tell us to get out of her way.
We did. We went to the woods and Thomas Chatterton Jupiter Zeus
went with us. When we were come to the great fir tree, I did say
a prayer. We went on. A little way we went. Then I made a stop to
print a message on a leaf, for the soul of the girl that has no
seeing. I had wants to tie it on a limb of a tree that I could not
reach up to, and there was no tree fallen against it. While I did
stand close by it, the man that wears gray neckties and is kind to
mice did come that way by. When he saw me in meditation by that
tree, he did ask me what I wanted. I told him I did have needs of
being up in that tree. He did set me on his shoulder. From there I
could reach the tree-arm that was most near earth. But before I did
climb onto the limb from his shoulder I did take long looks about
in three straight ways and four corner ways.
One does get such a good view of life from a man’s shoulder. One
feels so much more tall. I saw a mouse run under a log. I saw a
mother-bird come to her babies. I saw a toad by an old gray rock.
I saw a caterpillar on a bush close by. I saw a squirrel on a tree
beyond the next bush. Then I did climb up into the tree, and I tied
the leaf with the message on it out far on a limb high up, so the
angels would have sees of it when they went flying by and carry it
up to her in heaven there.
Afterwards I did go to the house of Sadie McKibben. Lars Porsena of
Clusium and Thomas Chatterton Jupiter Zeus went goes with me. Sadie
McKibben has a new back-comb. She did have me put it in her hair
for the first time it so is in. It has crinkles on its back and it
does hold her hair up from her neck in a nice way. Sometimes Sadie
McKibben does let me help her to do up her hair. I have satisfaction
feels that I can be of helps. I do roll her hair in a roll on top
of her head. It makes loop looks where some hairs want not to be
in the roll on top of her head. Then I do put the hairpins in, to
make them look like a water-wheel that the chore boy does build in
the brook. But all the times I do put Sadie McKibben’s hairpins in
like a water-wheel, her hair, it does not stay up long. Then she
does smile a smile and give her hair a quick roll. She sticks the
hairpins in tight. Her hair, it does stay up. She so did to-day. And
when we came away she did give me a kiss on both my cheeks and one
on my nose. I have glad feels that she does remember about the nose.
After I was come home I did bring the wood in and set the table. Then
I made a start to go to the ranch-house to get the milk. On the way
along I heard a little lamb bleating. It was crying for its mother.
I went to look for it. I left the path. I went to the pasture up by
the woods. When I got there the little lamb seemed to be away back
in the woods. I set the milk-pail down and ran. I ran quick. There
were long gray shadows in the woods. I felt their soft fingers touch
my cheeks. I ran on. The little lamb had stopped crying. I heard
it bleat no more. Where last time it did cry, there was only the
husband of Sadie McKibben sitting on a log. I have thinks the wee
lamb did find its mother. So I came back again. And the time was not
long until I did have the milk brought to the house we live in.
Afterwards in gray-light-time I did go to the cathedral. And with me
went Brave Horatius and most all the others. We did have service and
I did sing and say thank prayers for the goodness of Grégoire VII.
It was on this day in 1085--it was then he did have going away. And
this eventime there was a song in the tree-tops at the cathedral.
I have thinks it was a song of his goodness.