Marthy stood lookin' at Deedee with reproaches in her eyes. We had a sort of tradition in the family that Deedee had to go to sleep quick and quiet, without any nonsense. Every night, when Marthy put the little white rascal in the crib, she had hopes that the tradition would come true, and every night it didn't. The go-to-sleep hour was the time Deedee seemed to pick out to have an hour of especial lively fun, and for weeks she had been breakin' the laws, and walkin' all over the rules with her pink feet. She did not see, comin' up over the horizon, and gittin' nearer every day, the stern and horrid Spank!
We had got together in a sort of family conclave and decided that Deedee was about old enough to be punished by layin' on of hands. We decided it one time when Deedee was out of the room, and we had been right stern about it. We could be stern about Deedee when she wasn't in sight. When she come smilin' and singin' along we generally had to quit bein' stern, and kiss her.
Deedee was twenty-two months old, and she was ninety-eight per cent, pure sweetness. Some of the women in our end of town said her short, curly hair was tow-colored, but it wasn't so—they was just envious of us. And one and all said her eyes was like round little bits of blue sky. It was clear enough that she had inherited her sweetness from Marthy; and some said it was equal clear that the two per cent, of unadulterated stubbornness come from me. I said so myself, but I didn't believe it.
Deedee was gittin' to be a regular person. She could tell what she wanted, and once in a while we could understand what it was. It was full time, everybody said, that her education had ought to begin. If she was goin' to grow up into a fine, sincere woman like Marthy, she must have the right kind of start. Just the night before the day of the Spank, Marthy had begun to teach her her religious education. Standin' up at Marthy's knee—for Deedee would not kneel to God or man—she had repeated:—
“Nowee-laimee-downee-seep,
Padee-O-so-tee.”
Anybody had ought to know that was:—
“Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.”
It was a fine success for a first start, only she didn't do what she said she was goin' to do and “lay me down to sleep.” Instead of that she stood up in her crib for about an hour, callin' for “Mamie,” the meanin' of which was that she wanted to be rocked and have Marthy sing “Mary had a little lamb,” to her.
The day of the Spank had a bad openin'. When Deedee woke up, along about five o'clock a.m., it was rainin' pitchforks, and that meant a day indoors, and to start off, she stood up in her crib and called for “laim.”
Marthy woke up sort of realizin' that Deedee was repeatin' that word slow, but regular, and she sat up and thought. “Laim” was a new word, and the meanin' of it was unknown, but, whatever it was, Deedee wanted it. She wanted it bad. Nothin' but “laim” would satisfy her.