The feels I did feel—they was drippy ones. And I did have decides to make that other portrait of Solomon Grundy another time. I said good-bye to Aphrodite. Then I went goes in a quick way to the singing creek where the willows grow, to get the swill-smells off. First I did wade out a little way. Then I sat down. The water came in a nice way up to my neck, and it went singing on. I gave my curls wash-offs, and I did listen to the song the creek was singing as it did go by. It was a song of the hills. Being up to my neck made the water sounds very near to my ears. I had likes for that.

By-and-by I did have feels that I was clean again and I did have thinks I better go get some dry clothes on, because sitting there in the singing creek did make my clothes some wet. When I was come to the house we live in, the mamma was gone to the house of Elsie, so I did go in. First I did give my clothes some wring-outs by the steps, so the water would not have drips on the kitchen floor, for the mamma has likes to keep her house very clean.

When I did have dry clothes on me, I did go to hang the wet ones on bushes in the woods to dry. Thomas Chatterton Jupiter Zeus went with me. Lucian Horace Ovid Virgil rode in one of my apron pockets and Felix Mendelssohn rode in the other one. And Louis II, le Grand Condé, did have rides in my sleeve. We was all very glad. As we went along, I had seeings the strings I have put on the bushes for the birds was gone. We went on and on some more. I did have looks about. I did have seeing of little wood-folks going their ways. I watched their little moves and I had seeing of what color they was. I made stops to tell them about this being the borning day of Linnæus in 1707, and the going-away day of Georges Cuvier in 1832.

We went on. All things was glad. The winds did sing. The leaves did sing. The grasses talked in whispers all along the way. I have thinks they were saying, “Petite Françoise, l’été approche—l’été approche.” I did have hearings to all they were so saying, as I did go along. And the little birdlings in their cradles were calling for more to eat. And I did make a stop to watch the mother-birds and father-birds in their comings and goings. Now are busy times.

A PATH TO “EXPLORES” IN THE FAR WOOD [Return to text]

[CHAPTER XXV
Of Many Washings and a Walk.]

To-day I did take Mathilde Plantagenet to visit the girl that has no seeing. I did tell her I would so bring Mathilde Plantagenet, and she did have joy feels when she did have thinks about Mathilde Plantagenet coming to visit her. Before we did start, I did give Mathilde Plantagenet a good foot-bath, as Sadie McKibben does always take one before she goes a-visiting. Then I did wash the neck and ears of Mathilde Plantagenet in a careful way. It took four Castoria-bottles full of water to do so.

I have had a big problem. That’s what Sadie McKibben says when she has had a difficulty of managing. My big problem was what to carry water in when I go to make prepares to give my pets foot-baths and neck-and-ear washes. I have tried thimbles to use for wash-pans when I do wash the hands of my pets, but thimbles hold not enough of water. Often and often again there is needs to go for more water when one does use thimblefuls at a time. Sometimes now I do use a mentholatum jar. It holds more water than does a thimble, but mostly now I do carry Castoria bottles full of water when I start on my way to wash the neck and ears of my animal friends. Sadie McKibben has gave me advice and a lard-bucket to carry those Castoria bottles full of water in.