Miss Billy : $b A neighborhood storyMcNeely, Marian Hurd
General
Miss Billy : $b A neighborhood story
McNeely, Marian Hurd
Families of clergy -- Fiction; Neighborhoods -- Fiction; New York (N.Y.) -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
"Oh, yes you will, Fridoline. Every one goes to Sunday School....
Here's the blacking all ready for you.... No, you can't wash first.
What's the use of getting clean and then gauming yourself all up
agin?... Black the _heels_ of the shoes. Yes, they do show, too....
No, Friddie dear, please don't put on that clean collar until you
wash your neck. Let me help you wash.... Well, I won't, if you don't
want me to, but you are never pertic'ler about the edges, you know
you ain't.... Stop brushing Mike's hair with that blacking brush!...
Friddie, I'll tell Ma!... No, your neck ain't clean, an' your ears
are a sight. Let me take that rag a minute. No, I won't get your coat
collar wet.... Don't work your face that way, Friddie; it can't be
as stiff as that.... Well, don't _open_ your mouth, _then_ you won't
taste it.... Stop hitting my elbow.... Fridoline Canary!... I hate
to tell on you, but if you don't stop I will.... Ma, make Friddie
stop!"
Mrs. Canary, putting her forefinger between the pages of the Duke's
history, came to the doorway and looked in,--the picture of grieved
amazement.
"Why, Fridoline," she exclaimed. "Why do you hurt that loving sister
of yours? Elbows is tender in ladies. Holly Belle, I wouldn't be too
pertic'ler about the edges. He was washed good last Wednesday."
"Sh'd say I was," growled Fridoline, looking vengefully at his
sister. "They's no need of making me as wet as wash-day agin. Holly
Belle's too doggoned clean."
"Ye look as shiny as a new mirror," said his mother proudly. "There's
nothing like Ivory soap for bringing out all there is in a man. You
look every inch a policeman's son. Now your uncle Weatherby, who
holds a government position at Washington, D.C.----"
"Do I have to go to Sunday School, ma?" whined Fridoline.
"Don't interrupt, Friddie dear," said his mother mildly. "You put me
all out of mind of what I was goin' to say. Certainly you do have to
go to Sabbath School. I ain't goin' to have it said that I ever let
circumstances interfere with religion."
"I hate Sunday School," complained Fridoline; "I don't get no good
going."
"Oh, yes you do, son," encouraged his mother. "You learn lots. Didn't
you get promoted from primary to secondary less'n a month ago?"
"Yes," growled the boy, "en the only difference is that ye put a
nickel in the collection instead of a cent. I'm goin' to be changed
back agin."
"No, ye ain't," said his mother decidedly. "You get that church down
on ye, and ye'll miss the Sunday School picnic. But I'll tell ye what
ye can do, Friddie. After the picnic ye can all make a change and
go to Mr. Lee's church. The Weatherbys have always been Baptists,
but out of compliment to Mr. Lee I'm willin' to let you change. He's
been so nice and neighbourly that I think he's deserved it. We won't
say nothing about it, and some fine day we'll surprise him by five
shinin' faces increasing his aujence."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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