To-day, after I did have thinks about it in school, I did print more messages on leaves for Angel Father and Angel Mother. I did tell them about the girl who has no seeing. And on more leaves I did print all about the cathedral and how the presence of Saint Louis is always near unto it. And then it was come time for school to let out.
I went adown the road. I went the way by the field where Aidan of Iona come from Lindisfarne was on yesterday. I climbed the fence. I looked looks about. He was not there to-day. But there were Bede of Jarrow and Felix of Croyland. I did have talks with them. I went on. I went on to the singing creek where the willows grew. I gathered water-cress for the mamma. Then I did go my way to the house we live in. No one was there. I put the water-cress for the mamma on the cook table. Then I did bring much wood in and put it in the wood-box back of the kitchen stove.
After the chickens did have their supper feed, I did go into the near woods. I so went to tie the messages I did print on gray leaves to the trees. And I tied one on one tree and one on another. I tied them there that they may go in thoughts to Angel Mother and Angel Father up in heaven there. And I did have thinks when the angels come to walk in the near woods they would see and carry them on. And I did say a little prayer every time I did tie on a leaf-message.
I did look looks about. This woods is gray in winter when come cold days. And gray shadows walk among the trees. They touch one’s face with velvet fingers when one goes walking there in the woods. In the winter old gray leaves grow to look like lace. They are very beautiful. As I did go along, I saw many gray rocks. Some gray rocks had gray and green patches on them. Some of these patches had ruffles all around their edges. The gray patches on gray rocks are lichens. My Angel Father said so. Lichen folks talk in gray tones. I think they do talk more when come winter days. I hear their voices more in December than I do hear their voices in July and June time. Angel Father did show me the way to listen to lichen voices. Most grown-ups don’t hear them at all. I see them walk right by—in a hurry sometimes. And all the time the lichen folks are saying things. And the things they say are their thoughts about the gladness of a winter day. I put my ear close to the rocks and I listen. That is how I do hear what they are saying. Then I do take a reed for a flute. I climb on a stump—on the most high stump that is near. I pipe on the flute to the wind what the lichens are saying. I am piper for the lichens that dwell on the gray rocks, and the lichens that cling to the trees grown old.
[CHAPTER XVII
Of Works to be Done; and how it Was that a Glad Light Came into the Eyes of the Man who Wears Gray Neckties and Is Kind to Mice.]
Morning works is done—and some more already too. There is enough barks in for to-day and to-morrow. And many kindlings are now in on the floor by the big wood-box. I have had my dinner at the noontime and I went into the barn. There were little sad sounds in the stall. It was the moos of Mathilde Plantagenet. Now I have thinks her moos were moos for some dinner at noontime. She has breakfast at morningtime and supper she has at gray-light-time. But when noontime is come, Mathilde Plantagenet is here in the barn, and her mother, the most gentle Jersey cow, is away out in the pasture. I have thinks there is needs for me to take Mathilde Plantagenet from the barn to the pasture at noontimes so she may have her dinner. I go now to so do.
I did give the latch of the barn-door a slip back. Then I led Mathilde Plantagenet out by the little rope I did use to use to lead Elizabeth Barrett Browning out by when she was a little calf. We went our way to the pasture-bars. I did give to one a push, and it made a drop down. Then I gave two more pushes, and they went drop downs. We went on through in between. It took a more long time to fix up the pasture-bars. They have so heavy feels when I go to put them back again. When I did have them so put, we made a go-on. We went a little way on. We did not have goes far, for the gentle Jersey cow had sees of our coming and she came to meet us. We was glad to have it so. I have thinks Mathilde Plantagenet did have most joy feels about it. She did start to get her dinner from her mother in a quick way. I watched her suck and suck some more. Seeing her have her dinner from her mother a long time before suppertime did make me to have such a big amount of satisfaction feels.
The grandpa felt not so. There was disturbs on his temper. He was at our house when I was come home from leading Mathilde Plantagenet back to the barn after she had sucked her mother a long time. The mamma did spank me some and some more. Now I have wonders why was it the grandpa felt not satisfaction feels at Mathilde Plantagenet having her dinner near noontime just like most all other children.
After the mamma did spank me, she told me more works to do, and she went with her father to the ranch-house to see her mother that was newly come back from the mill town where she did go early on this morning.