Slippery elm 1 cent.
Corn-ball 1 cent.
Gum 1 cent.
[Illustration]
And I swapped a whip-lash that I found for an orange that only had one
suck sucked out of it. The “Two Betseys,” they keep very good things to
sell. They are two old women that live in a little hut with two rooms to
it, and a ladder to go up stairs by, through a hole in the wall. One
Betsey, she is lame and keeps still, and sells the things to us sitting
down. The other Betsey, she can run, and keeps a yardstick to drive away
boys with. For they have apple-trees in their garden. But she never
touches a boy, if she does catch him. They have hens and sell eggs.
[Illustration]
The boys that sleep in the same room that we do wanted Benjie and me to
join together with them to buy a great confectioner’s frosted cake, and
other things. And when the lamps had been blown out, to keep awake and
light them up again, and so have a supper late at night, with the
curtains all down and the blinds shut up, when people were in bed, and
not let anybody know.
But Benjie hadn’t any money. Because his father works hard for his
living,--but his uncle pays for his schooling,--and he wouldn’t if he
had. And I said I wouldn’t do anything so deceitful. And the more they
said you must and you shall, the more I said I wouldn’t and I shouldn’t,
and the money should blow up first.
So they called me “Old Stingy” and “Pepper-corn” and “Speckled
Potatoes.” Said they’d pull my hair if ’t weren’t for burning their
fingers. Dorry was the maddest one. Said he guessed my hair was tired of
standing up, and wanted to lie down to rest.
I wish you would please send me a new comb, for the large end of mine
has got all but five of the teeth broken out, and the small end can’t
get through. I can’t get it cut because the barber has raised his price.
Send quite a stout one.
I have lost two of my pocket-handkerchiefs, and another one went up on
Dorry’s kite, and blew away.
Your affectionate grandchild,