HAVE you ever made men and animals of mud? You can do almost anything
with it when it is just soft enough. If it is too dry it is sure to
crack. Clay is best, but any kind of mud will do.
The little Wests spent hours and hours making people and villages of
clay—for there was a most delightfully damp bank by the brookside,
where the clay seemed made for young artists.
After modeling a few men, the children began to notice just how large a
head ought to be, for a certain sized body, and how far down the arms
ought to reach, and whether the legs were longer or shorter than the
arms.
At first, though, they made some funny looking creatures. Lady
Hollyhock must have smiled more than ever when she saw two of them
coming. Or maybe she was frightened.
One of them was a savage with excelsior hair standing out all over his
head. The only clothing he wore was a skirt of leaves fastened about
his clumsy waist.
His companion was a dwarf negro made by Ted, a larger playmate of the
West children. Ted never would be serious. He told the children that
the ugly dwarf had spoiled his looks by looking and listening too much.
His looks certainly had been spoiled in some way.
Cousin Charlotte made a rhyme about him, which seemed to explain his
appearance pretty well.
[Illustration: A CLAY SAVAGE]