You can tell Grandmother that Lame Betsey knit a pair for Gapper Sky
Blue, blue ones with white spots, and little Rosy has got an old pair.
You are a very good little girl to hem handkerchiefs. I think you hemmed
that one very well. It came last night, and we looked for that long
stitch to excuse it, and Dorry said it ought to be, for he guessed that
was the stitch that saved nine. When the letter came, Dorry and Bubby
Short and Old Wonder Boy and I were sitting together, studying. When I
read about the pigs I tell you if they didn’t laugh! And when that
little piggy dropped out of the basket Bubby Short dropped down on the
floor and laughed so loud we had to stop him. Dorry said, “Let’s play
have a Debating Society, and take Uncle Jacob’s question.” And we did.
First Old Wonder Boy stood up. And he said they crowed in the morning to
tell people ’t was time to get up and to let everybody know they
themselves were up and stirring about. Said he’d lain awake mornings,
down in Jersey, and listened and heard ’em say just as plain as day.
“I’m up and you ought to, too! And you ought to, too!”
Then Bubby Short stood up and said he thought they were telling the
other ones to keep in their own yards, and not be flying over where they
didn’t belong. Said he’d lain awake in the morning and heard ’em say,
just as plain as day, “If you do, I’ll give it to you! I’ll give it to
you oo oo oo!”
But a little chap that had come to hear what was going on said ’t was
more likely they were daring each other to come on and fight. For he’d
lain awake in the morning and listened and heard ’em say, “Come on if
you dare, for I can whip you oo oo!”
Then ’t was my turn, and I stood up and said I guessed the best crower
kept a crowing school, and was showing all the young ones how to scale
up and down, same as the singing-master did. For I’d lain awake in the
morning and heard first the old one crow, and then the little ones try
to. And heard the old one say, just as plain as day, “Open your mouth
wide and do as I do! Do as I do!” and then the young ones say, “Can’t
quite do so! Can’t quite do so!”
Dorry said he never was wide awake enough in the morning to hear what
anybody said, but he’d always understood they were talking about the
weather, and giving the hens their orders for the day, telling which to
lay and which to set, and where the good places were to steal nests, and
where there’d been anything planted they could scratch up again, and how
to bring up their chickens, and to look out and not hatch ducks’ eggs.
The teacher opened the door then to see if we were all studying our
lessons, so the Debating Society stopped.
Should you like to hear about our going to take a great big sleigh-ride?
The whole school went together in great big sleighs with four horses. We
had flags flying, and I tell you if ’t wasn’t a bully go! We went ten
miles. We went by a good many schoolhouses, where the boys were out, and
they’d up and hurrah, and then we’d hurrah back again. And one lot of
fellers, if they didn’t let the snowballs fly at us! And we wanted our
driver to stop, and let us give it to ’em good. But he wouldn’t do it.
One little chap hung his sled on behind and couldn’t get it unhitched
again, for some of our fellers kept hold, and we carried him off more
than a mile. Then he began to cry. Then the teacher heard him, and had
the sleigh stopped, and took him in and he went all the way with us. He
lost his mittens trying to unhitch it, and his hands ached, but he made
believe laugh, and we put him down in the bottom to warm ’em in the hay.
We ’most ran over an old beggar-woman, in one place between two drifts,
where there wasn’t very much room to turn out. I guess she was deaf. We
all stood up and shouted and bawled at her and the driver held ’em in
tight. And just as their noses almost touched her she looked round, and
then she was so scared she didn’t know what to do, but just stood still
to let herself be run over. But the driver hollered and made signs for
her to stand close up to the drift, and then there’d be room enough.
[Illustration]
When I got home I found my bundle and the tin box rolled up in that new
jacket, with all that good jelly in it. Old Wonder Boy peeped in and
says he, “O, there’s quite some jelly in there, isn’t there?” He says
down in Jersey they make nice quince-jelly out of apple-parings, and
said ’t was true, for he’d eaten some. Dorry said he knew that was
common in Ireland, but never knew ’t was done in this country. Dorry
says you must keep us posted about the last of the piggies. Keep your
pretty blue boots nice for Brother Billy to see, won’t you? Thank you
for hemming that pretty handkerchief. I’ve counted my handkerchiefs a
good many times, but counting ’em don’t make any difference.
From your affectionate Brother,