第9章

“Onlytwelve，“Isaid。

Helookeddowntheroadatourhouse。

“Doyoumeantotellmeyouhavetwelvechildrenthere？“heinquired。

“Ohno！“Ianswered。“Someofthebigboyshavegoneintobusinessinthecitiesaround，andsomeofthegirlsaremarried。

Mothersaysshehasonlytoshowhergirlsinthecitiestohavethemsnappeduplikehotcakes。“

“Ifancythatisthetruth，“hesaid。“I’vepassedtheonewhoridesthelittleblackponyandsheisapicture。Afine，healthy，sensible-appearingyoungwoman！“

“Idon’tthinkshe’sasprettyasyourgirl，“Isaid。

“PerhapsIdon’teither，“hereplied，smilingatme。

Thenhemountedhishorse。

“Idon’trememberthatIeverhavepassedthathouse，“hesaid，“withouthearingsomeonesinging。Doesitgoonallthetime？“

“Yes，unlessmotherissick。“

“Andwhatisitallabout？“

“Ohjustjoy！Gladnessthatwearealive，thatwehavethingstodothatwelike，andpraisingtheLord。“

“Umph！“saidMr。Pryor。

“It’sjustlettingoutwhatourheartsarefullof，“Itoldhim。

“Don’tyouknowthatsong：

“`TistheoldtimereligionAndyoucannotkeepitstill？’“

Heshookhishead。

“It’sanawfulnicesong，“Iexplained。“Afteritsingsaboutalltheotherthingsreligionisgoodfor，thereisonelinethatsays：`IT’SGOODFORTHOSEINTROUBLE。’“

Ilookedathimstraightandhard，butheonlyturnedwhiteandseemedsick。

“So？“saidMr。Pryor。“Well，thankyouforthemostinterestingmorningI’vehadthissideEngland。Ishouldbedelightedifyouwouldcomeandhuntlionsinmywoodswithmesometime。“

“Oh，doyouopenthedoortochildren？“

“Certainlyweopenthedoortochildren，“hesaid，andasIlive，helookedsosadIcouldn’thelpthinkinghewassorrytocloseitagainstanyone。Amysteryisthedreadfulestthing。

“Thenifchildrendon’tmatter，maybeIcancomelion-huntingsometimewiththePrincess，aftershehasmadethevisitatourhouseshesaidshewould。“

“Indeed！Ihadn’tbeeninformedthatmydaughtercontemplatedvisitingyourhouse，“hesaid。“Whenwasitarranged？“

“MymotherinvitedherlastSunday。“

Ididn’tlikethewayhesaid：“O-o-o-h！“Somewayitseemedinsultingtomymother。

“Shedidittopleaseme，“Isaid。“TherewasaFairyPrincesstoldmetheotherdaythatyourgirlfeltlikeastranger，andthattobeastrangerwasthehardestthinginalltheworld。

Shesatalittlewayfromtheothers，andshelookedsolonely。

Ipulledmymother’ssleeveandledhertoyourgirlandmadethemshakehands，andthenmotherHADtoaskhertocometodinnerwithus。Shealwaysinviteseveryoneshemeetscomingdowntheaisle；shecouldn’thelpaskingyourgirl，too。Shesaidshewasexpectedathome，butshe’dcomesomedayandgetacquainted。Sheneedn’tifyouobject。Mymotheronlyaskedherbecauseshethoughtshewaslonely，andmaybeshewantedtocome。“

Hesattherestaringstraightaheadandheseemedtogrowwhiter，andolder，andcoldereveryminute。

“Possiblysheislonely，“hesaidatlast。“Thisisn’tmuchlikethelifesheleft。Perhapsshedoesfeelherselfastranger。Itwasverykindofyourmothertoinviteher。Ifshewantstocome，Ishallmakenoobjections。“

“No，butmyfatherwill，“Isaid。

Hestraightenedupasifsomethinghadhithim。

“Whywillheobject？“

“OnaccountofwhatyousaidaboutGodatourhouse，“Itoldhim。

“Andthen，too，father’speoplewerefromEngland，andhesaysrealEnglishmenhavetheirdoorswideopen，andwelcomepeoplewhoofferfriendliness。“

Mr。Pryorhithishorseanawfulblow。ItrearedandwentracinguptheroaduntilIthoughtitwasrunningaway。IcouldseeI

hadmadehimangryenoughtoburst。Motheralwaystellsmenottorepeatthings；butI’mnotsmartenoughtoknowwhattosay，soIdon’tseewhatisleftbuttotellwhatmother，orfather，orLaddiesayswhengrownpeopleaskmequestions。

Iwenthome，buteveryonewastoobusyeventolookatme，soI

tookBobbyundermyarm，huntedfather，andtoldhimallaboutthemorning。Iwonderedwhathewouldthink。Ineverfoundout。

Hewouldn’tsayanything，soBobbyandIwentacrossthelane，andclimbedthegateintotheorchardtoseeifHezekiahwerethereandwantedtofight。Hehadn’ttimetofightBobbybecausehewasbusychasingeverywildjayfromourorchard。Bythetimehegotthatdone，hewastired，sohecamehoppingalongonbranchesaboveusasBobbyandIwentdownthewestfencebesidethelane。

IfIhadbeencompelledtochoosethesideofourorchardIlikedbest，Idon’tknowwhichIwouldhaveselected。Thewestside——

thatis，theonebehindthedooryard——wasrunningoverwithinterestingthings。Twogatesopenedintoit，onefromneareachcorneroftheyard。Betweenthesetherewasquiteawidelevelspace，wheremotherfedthebigchickensandkeptthehensincoopswithlittleones。Shehadtohavethemcloseenoughthatthebighawkswereafraidtocometoearth，ortheywouldtakemorechickensthantheycouldpayfor，bycleaningrabbits，snakes，andmicefromthefields。Thencameadoublerowofprizepeachtrees；rarefruitthatmothercannedtotaketocountyfairs。Oneborebig，whitefreestones，andaroundtheseedtheywerepinkasarose。Onewasawhitecling，andonewasyellow。Therewasayellowfreestoneasbigasayoungsun，andasgolden，andthequeerestofallwasaclingpurpleasabeet。

Sometimesfatherreadaboutthehairsoftheheadbeingnumbered，becauseweweresopreciousinthesightoftheAlmighty。Motherwasjustasparticularwithherpurpletree；everypeachonitwascounted，andifwefoundoneontheground，wehadtocarryittoher，becauseitMIGHTbesoundenoughtocanorspiceforafair，orshehadpromisedtheseedtosomeonehalfwayacrossthestate。Ateachendofthepeachrowwasanenormousbigpeartree；notfarfromonethechickenhousestoodonthepathtothebarn，andbesidetheotherthesmokehousewiththedogkennelayardaway。Fathersaidtherewasadistinctrelationshipbetweenasmokehouseandadogkennel，andbulldogswerebest。Justatpresentwewereoutofbulldogs，butJones，JenkinsandCo。couldmakeasmuchnoiseasanydogyoueverheard。Ontheleftgrewtheplumtreesallthewaytothesouthfence，andIthinktherewasoneofeverykindinthefruitcatalogues。Fatherspenthourspruning，grafting，andfertilizingthem。Hesaidtheyrequiredtwiceasmuchworkaspeaches。

Aroundtheothersidesoftheorchardweretworowsofpeachtreesofeveryvariety；butoneclingonthenorthwasjustalittlethebestofany，andwemighteatallwewantedfromanytreeweliked，afterfathertestedthemandsaid：“Peachesareripe！“Inthemiddleweretheapple；selectedtrees，planted，trimmed，andcultivatedlikehumanbeings。Theapplesweresobigandfinetheywerepickedbyhand，wrappedinpaper，packedinbarrels，andallwecouldnotuseathomewenttoJ。B。WhiteinFortWayneforthebiggestfruithouseinthestate。My！butfatherwasproud！HealwayspackedespeciallyfineonesforMr。

White’sfamily。Hesaidhelikedhim，becausehewasarealsandyScotchman，whoknewwhenanapplewasright，andwasn’tafraidtosayso。

OnthesouthsideoftheorchardtherewastheearliestJuneappletree。Theapplesweresmall，brightredwithyellowstripes，crisp，juicyandsweetenoughtobejustright。Thetreewasverylarge，andsoheavyitleanedfartothenortheast。

Thissoundslikemake-believe，butit’sgospeltruth。Almosttwofeetfromthegroundtherewasabigroundgrowth，thesizeofahashbowl。Thetreemusthavebeenhurtwhenverysmallandtheplaceenlargedwiththetrunk。Nowitmadeagrandstep。Ifyouunderstoodthatnoonecouldkeepfromrunningthelastfewrodsfromthetree，thenfiguredonthehelptobehadfromthisstep，youcouldseehowwewentupitlikesquirrels。Allthebarkonthesouthsidewaswornawayandthetrunkwassmoothandshiny。

Thebirdslovedtonestamongthebranches，andunderthepeachtreeinthefencecorneroppositewasabigbedofmymother’sfavouritewildflowers，blue-eyedMarys。Theyhaddaintystemsfromsixtoeightincheshighanddelicateheadsofbloommadeupoflittleflowers，twopetalsup，blue，twoturningdown，white。

Perhapsyoudon’tknowaboutanythingprettierthanthat。Thereweremaiden-hairfernsamongthemtoo！andthebiggestlichensyoueversawonthefence，whileinthehollowofarottenrailalittlechippybirdalwaysbuiltahairnest。Shegotthehairsatourbarn，formostofthemweregrayfromourcarriagehorses，NedandJo。Alldownthatsideoftheorchardthefencecornerswerefilledwithlonggrassandwildflowers，afewalderbusheslefttofurnishberriesforthebirds，andwildrosesforus，tokeeptheirbeautyimpressedonus，fathersaid。

Theeastendranalongthebrowofahillsosteepwecoasteddownitonthebigmeatboardallwinter。Theboardwassixinchesthick，twoandahalffeetwide，andsixlong。Fathersaidslippingovericeandsnowgaveitthegoodscouringitneeded，anditwasthickenoughtolastallourlives，sowemightplaywithitaswepleased。Atleastsevenofuscouldgoskimmingdownthathillandhalfwayacrossthemeadowonit。Intheveryplaceweslidacross，insummerlaythecowslipbed。

Theworldisfullofbeautifulspots，butIdoubtifanyofthemeverwereprettierthanthat。Fathercalleditswale。Wedidn’tsinkdeep，butallsummertherewaswaterstandingthere。Thegrasswaslongandverysweet，therewerefernsandafewcalamusflowers，andtheremusthavebeenanacreofcowslips——cowslipswithbig-veined，heartshaped，greenleaves，andlargepalegoldflowers。Iusedtositonthetoprailofthatorchardfenceandlookdownatthem，andtrytofigureoutwhatGodwasthinkingwhenHecreatedthem，andIwishedthatImighthavebeenwhereI

couldwatchHisfaceasHeworked。

HalfwayacrosstheeastsidewasagullywhereLeonandIfoundtheUndergroundStation，andfromanyplacealongthenorthyoulooked，yousawtheLittleCreekandthemarsh。Atthesametimethecowslipsweremostgolden，themarshwasbluewithflags，pinkwithsmartweed，whiteandyellowwithdodder，yellowwithmarshbuttercupshavingraggedfrostyleaves，whiletheyellowandtheredbirdsflashedaboveit，theredcrying，“Chip，“

“Chip，“inshort，sharpnotes，theyellowspillingmusicalloverthemarshwhileonwing。

Itwouldtakeawholebooktodescribethebutterflies；onceinawhileyouscaredupabig，wonderfulmoth，largeasasparrow；

andtheorchardwasalivewithdoves，thrushes，catbirds，bluebirds，vireos，andorioles。Whenyouclimbedthefence，oratree，andkeptquiet，andheardthemusicandstudiedthepictures，itmadeyoufeelasifyouhadtoputitintowords。I

oftenhadmeetingallbymyself，unlessBobbyandHezekiahwerealong，andItriedtotellGodwhatIthoughtaboutthings。

ProbablyHewassobusymakingmorebirdsandflowersforotherworlds，Heneverheardme；butIdidn’tsayanythingdisrespectfulatall，soitmadenodifferenceifHedidlisten。

ItjustseemedasifImusttellwhatIthought，andIfeltbetter，notsofullandrestlessafterIhadfinished。

Allofuswerealikeaboutthat。AtthatminuteIknewmotherwashumming，asshedidadozentimesaday：

“IthinkwhenIreadthatsweetstoryofold，WhenJesuswashereamongmenHowHecalledlittlechildrenaslambstoHisfold，IshouldliketohavebeenwithHimthen。“

Lucywouldberockingherbabyandsinging，“Hush，mydear，liestillandslumber。“Candace’sfavouriteshemadeupabouthermanwhohadbeenkilledinthewar，whentheyhadbeenmarriedonlysixweeks，whichhadn’tgivenhertimetogrowtiredofhimifhehadn’tbeen“allherfancypainted。“Shearrangedthewordslike“BenBattlewasasoldierbold，“andshesangthemtosuitherself，andcriedeverysingleminute：

“Theywrappedhiminhisuniform，Theylaidhiminthetomb，MyachingheartIthought’twouldbreak，Butsuchwasmysaddoom。“

Candacejustlovedthatsong。Shesangitallthetime。Leonsaidourpiealwaystastedsaltyfromhertears，andhe’dtakeabiteandsmileathersweetlyandsay：“HowUNIFORMyougetyourpie，Candace！“

May’sfavouritewas“JoyBells。“Fatherwouldbewhisperingovertohimselfthespeechhewaspreparingtomakeatthenextprayer-meeting。Wenevercouldlearnhisspeeches，becausehereadandstudiedsomuchitkepthisheadsofull，hemadeanewoneeverytime。YoucouldhearLaddie’sdeepbassboomingthe“BedouinLoveSong“foramile；thisminuteitcamerollingacrossthecorn：

“Openthedoorofthyheart，Andopenthychamberdoor，AndmykissesshallteachthylipsThelovethatshallfadenomoreTillthesungrowscold，AndtheStarsareold，AndtheleavesoftheJudgmentBookunfold！“

Idon’tknowhowthePrincessstoodit。IfhehadbeensingingthatsongwhereIcouldhearitandIhadknownitwasaboutme，asshemusthaveknownhemeanther，Icouldn’thavekeptmyarmsfromaroundhisneck。OverinthebarnLeonwassinging：

“Alifeontheoceanwave，Ahomeontherollingdeep，Wherecodfishwaggletheirtails’Midtadpolestwofeetdeep。“

Theminutehefinished，hewouldbeginreciting“MarcoBozzaris，“

andyoucouldbesurethathewouldreachthelastlineonlytocommenceonthespeechof“Logan，ChiefoftheMingoes，“oranyoneofthefiftyothers。Hecouldmakeyourhairstandalittlestraighterthananyoneelse；thebestteachersweeverhad，orevenLaddie，couldn’tmakeyoushiveryandcreepyashecould。

Becauseallofuskeptgoinglikethateveryday，peoplecouldn’tpasswithouthearing，soTHATwaswhatMr。Pryormeant。

Ihadapulpitinthesoutheastcorneroftheorchard。Ilikedthatplacebestofallbecausefromityoucouldseetwosidesatonce。Theveryfirstlittle，oldlogcabinthathadbeenonourland，theonemyfatherandmothermovedinto，hadstoodinthatcorner。Itwasallgonenow；butaflowerbedoftiny，purpleiris，notsotallasthegrass，spreadthere，andsomestripedgrassintheshadiestplaces，andamongtheflowersalarkbroodedeveryspring。Inthefencecornermother’sbigwhiteturkeyhenalwaysnested。Toprotectherfromrainandtoohotsun，fatherhadslippedsomeboardsbetweentherailsaboutthreefeetfromtheground。Aftertheturkeyleft，thatwasmypulpit。

Istoodthereandusedthetopofthefenceformyrailing。