Sally straightened up and began jerking the roses on her bonnet far too
roughly for artificial flowers. Perhaps I surprised you with that
artificial word, but I can spell and define it; it's easy divided into
syllables. Goodness knows, I have seen enough flowers made from the
hair of the dead, wax, and paper, where you get the shape, but the
colour never is right. These of Sally's were much too bright, but they
were better than the ones made at our house. Hers were of cloth and
bought at a store. You couldn't tell why, but Sally jerked her roses;
I wished she wouldn't, because I very well knew they would be used to
trim my hat the next summer, and she said: "Well, people don't have to
be comfortable during a wedding ceremony; they can stand up if I can,
and as for seeing and hearing, I'm asking a good many that I don't
intend to have see or hear either one!"
"My soul!" cried mother, and she dropped her hands and her mouth fell
open, like she always told us we never should let ours, while she
stared at Sally.
"I don't care!" said Sally, straightening taller yet; her eyes began to
shine and her lips to quiver, as if she would cry in a minute; "I don't
care----!"
"Which means, my child, that you DO care, very much," said father.
"Suppose you cease such reckless talk, and explain to us exactly what
it is that you do want."
Sally gave her bonnet an awful jerk. Those roses would look like sin
before my turn to wear them came, and she said: "Well then, I do care!
I care with all my might! The church is all right, of course; but I
want to be married in my very own home! Every one can think whatever
they please about their home, and so can I, and what I think is, that
this is the nicest and the prettiest place in all the world, and I
belong here----"
Father lifted his head, his face began to shine, and his eyes to grow
teary; while mother started toward Sally. She put out her hand and
held mother from her at arm's length, and she turned and looked behind
her through the sitting-room and parlour, and then at us, and she
talked so fast you never could have understood what she said if you
hadn't known all of it anyway, and thought exactly the same thing
yourself.
"I have just loved this house ever since it was built," she said, "and
I've had as good times here as any girl ever had. If any one thinks
I'm so very anxious to leave it, and you, and mother, and all the
others, why it's a big mistake. Seems as if a girl is expected to
marry and go to a home of her own; it's drummed into her and things
fixed for her from the day of her birth; and of course I do like Peter,
but no home in the world, not even the one he provides for me, will
ever be any dearer to me than my own home; and as I've always lived in
it, I want to be married in it, and I want to stay here until the very
last second----"
"You shall, my child, you shall!" sobbed mother.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account