_Of Taking-Egg Day, and the Remarkable Things that Befell thereon._
To-day was taking-egg day. Taking-egg day comes mostly one time a
week. It is the day the mamma does send me straight to take eggs
to the folks here about and yonder. First she does send me to take
them yonder, before she does send me to take them hereabout. This
she does because she knows if she sends me first to take them to the
folks that live hereabout, I do stay so long with the folks that
live in the nursery and hospital that there is n’t time enough left
to take eggs unto the people that live yonder.
As quick as I did eat my breakfast, the mamma did set out the
lard-pail on the wash-bench with a dozen eggs in it. As quick as
she did so, I put on my sun-bonnet. It is blue and has a ruffle on
it. Sometimes I wear it on my head, but most times it hangs back
over my shoulders. And often I carry it over my arm with things in
it--earthworms for baby birds, bandages for the folks that get hurt,
and mentholatum in quinine boxes. Then too on exploration trips my
chums ride in it. Sometimes it’s a mouse and sometimes it’s a beetle.
Very often it is toads and caterpillars--only they don’t ride in the
sun-bonnet at the same time, because I have learned toads like to
eat caterpillars for breakfast. Sometimes Thomas Chatterton Jupiter
Zeus, that most dear velvety wood-rat, snuggles up in my sun-bonnet.
He most fills it up. A sun-bonnet is a very useful garment.
After I did tie my bonnet-strings under my chin in the proper way the
mamma thinks they ought to be tied, I walked over to the wash-bench
in hippity-hops to get that bucket of eggs. Before I took up the
bucket, I did look long looks at those eggs. They were so plump and
so white, and they did have so nice a feel. I think being a hen must
be a very interesting life. How thrilling it must be to cackle after
one lays an egg. And then it must be a big amount of satisfaction
to have a large number of children hatch out at the same time and
follow one about. I think I would like to be a hen in the daytime,
but I would n’t like to roost in the chicken-house at night.
When the mamma saw me looking long looks at those eggs, she gave to
me a shoulder-shake and told me to get a hurry on me and take those
eggs straight to Mrs. Limberger yonder. That Mrs. Limberger is the
quite plump wife of that quite big man that lives in a quite big
house that is nice but is n’t as nice as his lane. I thought I’d go
straight to Mrs. Limberger’s in along that lane from out along the
field; but first I did go by to get Felix Mendelssohn.
When I got to where he was, it was very near unto the altar of Good
King Edward I. And being as this was the day of his crowning in 1274,
I thought I would just go a little farther, to see if the crown I
planted in little plants there on the altar were growing in a nice
way. They were. When I planted them there from the woods in spring
days, I did hope they would burst into bloom on this his crowning
day and make a crown of flowers on his altar. But the dear little
things got in a hurry, and did bloom more than a month ago. But they
were saying to-day beautiful things with their leaves. I heard them
as I did kneel to pray to thank God for Good King Edward I.
After I did pray quite a long time and Felix Mendelssohn got a little
fidgety, I started on to take the eleven eggs that were left straight
to Mrs. Limberger. The other egg I could not take because when I
did kneel to pray, in some way it did roll out of the bucket, and
before I was through my prayers a little gray rock by my hand just
rolled off the altar and met the egg. There are a lot of little gray
rocks on the altar. It is mostly made up of little rocks and some
big ones. While I was making that altar, the man that works at the
mill and wears gray neckties and is kind to mice came along. And
the big rocks that were too big he did lift and place on the altar
there. And then he did help me to plant mosses in between some of the
rocks. That made me happy. Men are such a blessing to have about.
To-day I did go from the altar to the field. Along the way I stopped
to talk to the trees and to watch the birds and to get berries for
the nursery. I put them in the bucket with the eggs. I most lost my
bonnet climbing over the fence, and I did lose three more of those
eggs and some of the berries for the nursery. I picked up the berries
and put them back in the lard-pail, but the eggs I could not pick
up. I did n’t put my sun-bonnet back on my head again, but I did
give the strings a little tie in front so it would n’t come off.
Very soon after I saw a little snake. He was crawling along. When
I see snakes, I like to stop and watch them. The dresses they wear
fit them tight. They can’t fluff out their clothes like birds can,
but snakes are quick people. They move in such a pretty way. Their
eyes are bright and their tongues are slim.
When that snake crawled away where I could n’t see him any more, I
walked over to talk to a flower. After we did have conversation for
some time, I happened to think the mamma did say to hurry; so I said
good-bye, and when I did, I put my nose to the flower to smell it.
It had a pleasant odor. I went on. Pretty soon I felt something on
my nose. I wiped it off. It was pollen from that flower. I put it
on an egg in the lard-pail. That gave that egg a flowery look. I
showed it to an ear of corn, and then, as I did go along, I stopped
to take the clods away from the roots of some of the corn-plants so
the toes of their roots could have some fresh air. They quivered
appreciations, and some did bow down most to the ground to thank me
after I was done.
I proceeded. The day was most warm. When I did cross the creek I
looked down it and up it. There were fairy demoiselles near unto the
water. Their wings did shimmer in the sunlight. All along its edges
the willows were dabbling their toes. Some had waded in a little
bit--about enough to get their ankles wet. I looked long looks at
them. I knew just how they did feel inside while they were dabbling
their toes in the water. It is such a nice feel to have.
I started on. I looked back. I started on. I turned and came back a
little ways--just to take a good-bye look. The willows waved their
hands to me. They called to me, “Petite Françoise, petite Françoise.”
I hurried on with the eggs. I had got twice as far as I did get
before. Then I started back to the creek. I ran all the way. When I
arrived I took off my shoes. I hung my stockings on a willow branch.
Then I sat on the edge of the bank and dabbled my toes. One drinks
in so much inspiration while one is dabbling one’s toes in a willow
creek. And one does hear the talkings of plants that dwell near unto
the water.
While I was dabbling my toes, my legs did have longings to go in
wading, but I went not in. Something might have happened to what
was left of that dozen eggs the mamma was sending straight to
Mrs. Limberger, and that was why I did not go. And I did not take
Felix Mendelssohn out of the pocket he was riding in, that he might
dabble his toes. I took him not out, for he has no longings to
dabble his toes in a brook. He has prefers to dabble his toes in
cheese. Though I do feel most certain one does n’t get near so much
inspirations when one dabbles one’s toes in cheese as one gets when
one dabbles one’s toes in waters that sing. After I did take in a
goodly amount of inspirations, I drew my toes away from the water
and let the sun dry my feet so I could put my stockings on. While I
was lacing my shoes up, I looked looks around to see what was near
about. A little way distant was a haystack.
When I did have my shoes most laced up to the top, I gave the strings
a tuck in and started on. I saw a _bourdon_. He was plump in body
and he did give a plump buzz. I did halt to screwtineyes him and
to listen to more of those plump buzzings of his. They were cool
sounds. What ones I did hear were so. He was a bourdon in a hurry,
and he went on in a quick way. And I went on in a slow way. The sun
was so hot. It made me squint my eyes, so I put my bonnet on. That
made things better. Pretty soon I met Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
Then we went walking across the field. I took off my sun-bonnet and
tied it on Elizabeth Barrett Browning so the sun would n’t bother
her eyes. And she did go her way and I did go mine. We shall meet
again at the pasture-bars when comes even-time.
When I did say good-bye to Elizabeth Barrett Browning, I went the
way that leads to this haystack. And here I have stopped. A haystack
is such an interesting place. It’s a nice place to explore. I think
so. Mice think so. Sometimes--quite often--when I am crawling back
in a haystack, I do meet a mouse, which is very nice, for mice are
nice folks to know. And now to-day, when I did crawl back away
under the straw I did find something. What I did find made me feel
gratitudes from my curls to my toes. It was a nest full of eggs and
nobody had used an egg from it. There are--there were just fifteen
eggs under the hay. They are not near so white as are those eight
eggs the mamma is sending straight to Mrs. Limberger, but they do
have more smooth feels. Oh, such satin feels! They are so slick they
came most slipping right out of my hands, but they did n’t.
Four and two I have took. I have put them here in the pail. I do know
Mrs. Limberger does so like to have things with satin feels about
her. I have heard her expressions so when I was taking eggs to her
before. Now I think she will beam delights all over her plumpness
when she does see the satin feel eggs in this pail. I have placed
them on top so she will see them first of all. Too, I think her eyes
will kink when she finds she has got a dozen eggs and two. I wonder
what she will be doing with those two extra eggs. Now I’ll just get
a hurry on me and take them straight to her. And I will hide these
printings of to-day in a little box here in the haystack until comes
eventime. And I will come back again for them when I come to meet
Elizabeth Barrett Browning at the pasture-bars.
I’m back again. I did go straight from this haystack with the two and
dozen eggs to the door of the house of Mrs. Limberger. When I did
get there she was talking with a woman. The woman was the beautiful
Sadie McKibben, and she wore upon her a new dress like the blossoms
of _avalon_ growing in the marshes, and there were freckles on it
like the freckles on her face, and both were beautiful. Also did
Mrs. Limberger wear a new dress. It was black and had a yellow stripe
in it like unto one of those yellow stripes the garter-snake wears
on his back.
When I did walk soft upon the porch they were so busy talking they
heard me not. I reached out the eggs. Yet they were so busy talking
they saw them not. Then I did edge over to Sadie McKibben. I gave her
sleeve a little pull. She looked down at me and smiled. She went on
talking. She gave each one of my curls a smooth-out while she talked
on. When she did get most done with her part of the conversation,
Mrs. Limberger did happen to see the eggs I was holding out to her.
She reached and took them. I was glad, but my arm was the most glad
part of me because it did have a tired feeling from holding the
bucket out so long.
She did n’t even notice those satin eggs on top. She did begin to
talk about the many ribbons and the many ruffles the new woman wears
that lives up the corduroy road. She talked on and on, and I did wait
on for the lard-pail the eggs were in. And I did get fidgety, for
she was n’t holding the bucket straight by the middle of its loop as
a bucket ought to be held. I had a little fear she would drop that
bucket. That would make a dent in it. And I knew what a spanking I
would get if I took that pail home with a dent in it. I did stick
my finger in my mouth to keep from speaking to her about it.
Just when I had feels how that spanking was going to feel, she did
take a firm hold on the handle. But she did n’t take it in the
middle. That did make the bucket to tip. She went on talking. She
took a big breath and two of those satin-feel eggs did roll out.
They bounced. They broke. Mrs. Limberger kinked her nose quick. She
put her new black dress to it. Sadie McKibben too did put her new
dress to her nose in a quick way. And my apron so did I put to my
nose. Now this I know for there I learned, an egg with a satin feel
may feel proper, but inside it is not so, and if it gets a fall, it
is only a queer odor that one does have longings to run away from.
But Mrs. Limberger made me stay right there and carry water from
the pump and scrub all the bad odors off her back porch. I think
some of them odors was n’t from the two eggs with satin feels.
When I confided my feelings about the matter to Felix Mendelssohn,
Mrs. Limberger did tell me to go on scrubbing. She said whatever
smells might have been there you could n’t get a whiff of, on account
of the multiplications of smells that came from the two eggs. Sadie
McKibben did help me to scrub. She did ask Mrs. Limberger not to
mention the matter to the mamma. Also she said she was going by that
way to-morrow and would bring the four eggs to make up the dozen.
When I started home Sadie McKibben did give to me a good-bye kiss
on each cheek. She knew how I do long for kisses, and how the mamma
has n’t time to give me any. When I walked by Mrs. Limberger I did
look the other way. As I passed she gave me a pat, and when she
did, Felix Mendelssohn squeaked. When she gave me the pat, it went
through my dress onto the back of the head of Felix Mendelssohn in a
pocket in my underskirt. And he being a mouse of a musical tendency
does object to being patted on the back of the head. He prefers to
have pats on his throat. And he won’t let anybody give them but me.
I went on in a hurry to home. The mamma came a little ways from the
door to meet me. Behind her was a switch. I saw both ends sticking
out. I did give my skirt a shake so Felix Mendelssohn would get out
and away. It would be awful for him to get hurt by a whipping. It
might hurt his soul. After the mamma did tend to me as usual, I put
some mentholatum on the places where the whip did hit most hard.
Then I did go to take eggs to the folks that live hereabout. I went
in a hurry. After that there were baby clothes to be washed and wood
to be brought in. Then the mamma told me to go find my sun-bonnet
and not to come back until I did find it. I went again to the altar
of Good King Edward I to pray. Then I went to the nursery and the
hospital and came again here where I print. Now I do see Elizabeth
Barrett Browning at the pasture-bars. And she has got my sun-bonnet
on. I knew we would meet again at eventide at the pasture-bars, for
often we do and often on hot days she wears my sun-bonnet until
we meet again. It does so help to keep the sun from hurting her
beautiful eyes.