Opal Diary by Chapter: 34

Today was a long work-day. When afternoon-time was come, the mamma was worried because the cream wasn't sour enough to churn , and she wanted to get it churned before suppertime. I wanted to help her. I feel so sorry for her when the worry lines come on her face. They make her look tired. While she was taking a nap by the baby on the bed, I tried to think how I could help her. By-and-by, after a time not very long, I thought of a way. I got a lemon and cut it in two with the butcher-knife. Then I took the lid off the big churn. I squeezed those lemons lots of times into the cream. Then, when they wouldn't leak any more juice out, I put the rinds in for a finishing touch, just like the mamma puts them into the lemonade after she has squeezed all the squeeze out. I feel better now. I know when the mamma awakes, joy will be hers when she sees the cream is sour enough to churn. { 521 }

But the feels the mamma did have when she had wake-ups -- they was not joy feels; and the feels I now have are sore feels on the back part of me . { 522 }

While I did mind the baby , there was an odd sound like someone crying a great way off. The mamma says, "I wonder what it is." I know it is the death-song of that gray fir tree they are falling this afternoon. Sleeps is come upon the baby. The mamma says for me to get out of her way. I go now goes to the woods. { 523 }

I did. I went on to where its growing was. It reaches up and up -- most away to the clouds. Days have been when I did sit by it to have thinks. And Thomas Chatterton Jupiter Zeus has gone goes there with me, and Brave Horatius has waited waits while I did say prayers by that great tree. And I have told it all the things I am going to do when I grow up. I have told it about the books I am going to write about wood-folks and them of the field, and about the twins I want when I grow up, and the eight other children. And always I have read to this great fir tree the letters I have wrote and put in the big log for the fairies to take to grandmére and grandpére . And night-times I have heard the little wind-song among its arms most near to the sky, and I have almost touched the big gray shadow with velvet fingers that stays close by it at night-time. { 524 }

And today there I did watch and I did hear its moans as the saw went through it. And I sat down on the ground. There was a queer feel in my throat and I couldn't stand up. All the woods seemed a still sound except the pain-sound of the saw. It seemed like a little voice was calling from the cliffs. And then it was many voices. They were all little voices calling as one silver voice come together. The saw -- it didn't stop -- it went on sawing. Then I did have thinks the silver voice was calling to the soul of the big fir tree. The saw did stop. There was a stillness. There was a queer sad sound. The big tree did quiver. It did sway. It crashed to the earth. { 525 }

Yesterday was the day of the funeral of Aristotle . He died of eating too many mosquitoes. Now I have not three pet bats. I only have two pet bats -- Plato and Pliny . And they are like mice with angel wings. I have likes to watch Pliny scratch his head with his hind-foot, and he does use a part of his wonderful stretchy wing for a wash-cloth. I have lonesome feels about Aristotle being gone. I go now goes to the garden to get turnips for supper. { 526 }

I did. And I give to them washes in the brook. When I did take them in to put them on the cook-table, the mamma and the grandma was talking about the garden. The mamma did wonder where that third cabbage-head was gone. I didn't. I know. It is up the brook a ways dabbling its toes in the water. I dug it up this morning and put it there. Tonight I shall plant it again in the garden. It will have had a glad day dabbling its toes in the brook. That does give one such a nice feel. { 527 }

I have been sitting on a high stump looking looks to where is the road . Now the sun shines yellow and many flowers bloom yellow along the road. When I grow up, I'm going to write a book about the folks that wear the sunshine color. I have printed some prints for its begins. { 528 }

When I was coming back from the stump, I saw a spider. I stopped to watch him. He walked on his web. There was a mosquito in the web. I thought I would take that mosquito to Pliny to eat. Before I could get to it, that spider ate that mosquito up. { 529 }

I came a come as near unto the chêne trees. I saw the black cat coming in a creep along. He was coming more near unto the little squirrel that had no seeing of his coming. I ran a more quick run. I hollered a little holler. The little squirrel did make a start to make a run. The cat did make a jump. I so did too. The cat did begin to make a quick run. I so did too. I fell over a little root. That helped some because, when I fell, I did catch the tail of that old black cat. I pulled it most hard. He did drop the little squirrel and made objects to my pulling his tail so. { 530 }

Then I did get the baby squirrel. It was most killed, but it was not killed dead. I did cuddle it up in my hands and we did go the way that does go to the hospital . I have metholatumed it and named it Geoffiroi Chaucer, and I have told it about this being the day of the going-away of Innocent III in 1216. Now I go goes to the cathedral to say thanks for his borning and all the good he did do and to pray for the angels to bring a new baby to the mamma and the papa when comes Easter-time. { 531 }

Chapter	Day	Scene	Paragraph
34	58	120	521


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		Chapter 34
	Of the Fall of the Great Tree, and the Funeral of Aristotle