I have seeings that the folks, they are almost through eating. I now am not at the table. I was only there for a very little while. I now am under the bed. The mamma did send me away from the table—it seems a long time ago. She did send me away from the table because when Jenny Strong asked me if I liked her dress, I said, “Yes, and the ruffles around your neck are like the ruffles around the neck of the man with the glove, when Titian made his picture.” Jenny Strong looked a queer look and she said to the mamma, “What a naughty child!” The mamma did straightway tell me to crawl under the bed and to stay there. I so am. I have feels Jenny Strong has not had seeing of the picture of the man with the glove that Titian did make. I thought it was nice to tell her her ruffles were like his. They did look so nice.
I have wonders about folks. They are hard to understand. I think I will just say a little prayer. My, I do have such hungry feels now. They at the table are not through yet. I make swallows down my throat. It is most hard not to eat what I have saved for my animal friends. But they will like it—so I can wait waits until breakfast-time. I can. In-between times I will have thinks and prayers.
[CHAPTER XVI
Of the Woods on a Lonesome Day, and the Friendliness of the Wood-Folks on December Days when you Put your Ears Close and Listen.]
This day—it was a lonely day. I did have longings all its hours for Angel Mother and Angel Father. In-between times all day at school I did print messages for them on gray leaves I did gather on the way to school. I did tell on the leaves the longings I was having. Too, on the leaves I did tell of William Shakespeare and our talks as we do go walking down the lane, and the poetry I do tell him in the manger. And I did print on more leaves how I do read out of the books they did make—how I do sit in the manger and read what is in them, and he does have understandings. And on other leaves I did tell them as how the nose of Thomas Chatterton Jupiter Zeus that was soreness has now well feels with prayers and mentholatum that Sadie McKibben did give, and as how the head-ache of the most big rooster has now well feels with camphoratum and vaselineatum; and as how the stomach-ache of Aphrodite did get well feels with caster oilatum that Sadie McKibben did give. And after, I did tell of how on many days in gray-light-time I have had going on searches for the kisses of Angel Father, what he did tell me to keep watches for in the fleurs while he was away gone to the far lands. And on more leaves I did tell them as how Peter Paul Rubens that was is not now, and how I do carry about with me the little bell he always did wear in the cathedral.
And when these leaves were so done, I did not go on for a time little. For a little time I did have thinks. And the thinks I did have—they were about the glad song. The glad song in my heart sings not bright to-day. It is lonesome feels I have. But I do try to have thinks as how I can bring happiness to folks about. That is such a help when lonesome feels do come. Angel Mother did say, “Make earth glad, little one—that is the way to keep the fire-tongue of the glad song ever in your heart. It must not go out.” I so do try to keep it there. I so do try, for it is helps on cold days and old days. And I did have remembers as how it was Angel Mother did say, “When one keeps the glad song singing in one’s heart then do the hearts of others sing.”
So I did make hard swallows to swallow all the lonesome feels, and I did have thinks as how I would stop to get water-cress for the mamma on the way home from school. She does have such a fondness for it. And too she does have longings for singing lessons. I am saving my pennies to buy her one. All the pennies that the man that wears gray neckties and is kind to mice does give to me I save. I put them in the corner of the wood-shed where Brave Horatius sleeps at night. I think I have most enough pennies to buy her a singing lesson now. I have nineteen pennies. And when I grow up I am going to buy her a whole rain-barrel full of singing lessons.
And then I did have thinks as how to-morrow I will be taking Elizabeth Barrett Browning to visit the girl who has no seeing. They do both have likings for one another. The girl who has no seeing has an understanding soul. All my friends do have appreciations of the pats she does give to them and the words she does say. And sometimes a goodly number of them do have goings to her house with me. That is when her folks are not at home. Then does Elizabeth Barrett Browning walk right by my side up to the door. And Thomas Chatterton Jupiter Zeus cuddles up in my arms, and in my pockets do ride other folks—and Brave Horatius follows after.
When we are come, she does smooth back my curls and give me a kiss. She says when we are come, “Here is come the kingdom of heaven.” I have feels she has mistakes about that, because the kingdom of heaven, being up in the sky, is there beyond the stars. And when we are come, she does have asking about the voices. And I do help her to get understandings of the thoughts growing with the fleurs and the trees and the leaves. And I do tell her as how those are God’s thoughts growing right up out of the earth. And she wants to know more. Always she does ask for more. To-morrow we will go—Elizabeth Barrett Browning and me—we will go the way that does lead to the house of the girl that has no seeing.