Short stories; United States -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction
“'SATURDAY.—Wind northwest by Mrs. Tupper's Weather vain. Something
happened yesterday. Aunt Olivia didn't say it, but she most did. She
came right out of her bedroom and I saw it in her face!
“Dear”—“darling,”—they were both there, and she was looking at me!
Nobody EVER looked “dear” “darling” at me before. I suppose my mother
would have. If I hadent had another mother I think I should like to have
had Aunt Olivia.
“'You feel that way more after you get akquainted. When I get VERY
akquainted prehaps I shall tell Aunt Olivia. Its quear, I think, how it
isent as easy to say some things as it is to think them. You can wright
them easier too. I am glad Ime keeping a diary because I can wright
about yesterday and what happenned. I shall read it to my grand
children—to be continude.
“'SUNDAY'—that's today, Thomas Jefferson,—'SUNDAY.—This is yesterday
continude, because there was too mutch for one day. Something else
beutiful happenned. My Aunt Olivia said to me as folows, I have desided
to pay you a weakly alowance of 10 cents a weak Rebecca Mary. And I
never asked her to. And she never said anything about charging me for my
sins. I was going to ask her but I found out she was poor. That was a
mistake, she isent. She must be SOME well of I think for 10 cents seams
a great deal to have of your own every weak. But I shant buy crimpers.
Ime going to buy a present for Aunt Olivia byamby. Ime very happy. I
wish I knew how to spell hooray.'”
Suddenly Rebecca Mary was on her feet, waving the cookbook jubilantly.
“Hoo-ray! Hoo-ray! Thomas Jefferson!” she shouted, surprising the gentle
Sunday calm. She surprised Thomas Jefferson, too, but he was equal to
the occasion—Thomas Jefferson was a gentleman.
“Hoo-ra-a-a-ay!” he crowed, splendidly, with a fine effect of clapping
his hands.
This time there could be no doubt. This was applause.
The Bereavement
Thomas Jefferson was losing his appetite. Even Aunt Olivia noticed it,
but it did not worry her as it did Rebecca Mary.
“He's always had as many appetites as a cat's got lives—he's got eight
good ones left,” she said, calmly.
But Rebecca Mary was not calm. It seemed to her that Thomas Jefferson
was getting thinner every day.
“Oh, I can feel your bones!” she cried, in distress. “Your bones are
coming through, you poor, dear Thomas Jefferson! Won't you eat just one
more kernel of corn—just this one for Rebecca Mary? I'd do it for you.
Shut your eyes and swallow it right down and you'll never know it.”
That day Thomas Jefferson listened to pleading, but not the next day—nor
the next. He went about dispiritedly, and the last few times that he
crowed it made Rebecca Mary cry. Even Aunt Olivia shook her head.
“I could do it better than that myself,” she said, soberly.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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