Initial commit of ebook 79015 filesHEADmain

1 files changed, 2708 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/79015-0.txt b/79015-0.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..01b0f69
--- /dev/null
+++ b/79015-0.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,2708 @@
+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 79015 ***
+
+  [Illustration: “Dear Mother of my hart,----”
+                                                     Frontispiece]
+
+
+
+
+                           THE HEART OF AN
+                                ORPHAN
+
+
+                                  BY
+                            AMANDA MATHEWS
+
+
+                           ILLUSTRATIONS BY
+                             W. T. BENDA
+
+
+                               New York
+                       Desmond FitzGerald, Inc.
+
+
+
+
+                            Copyright, 1912
+                      By Desmond FitzGerald, Inc.
+
+
+
+
+                                  TO
+                             MY GOOD ANGEL
+                          ADA HENRY VAN PELT
+
+
+
+
+                               CONTENTS
+
+
+                                                     PAGE
+
+                THE HEART OF AN ORPHAN                 9
+
+                THE TRANSLATION OF GIOVANNA           24
+
+                “LITTLE SISTER IN CAGE OF GOLD”       37
+
+                THE MERRY CHRISTMAS OF GIOVANNA       53
+
+                GIOVANNA’S ITALIAN RENAISSANCE        78
+
+                GIOVANNA’S FIRST REMEMBERS           105
+
+                GIOVANNA AS THE WRONG PRINCESS       123
+
+                GIOVANNA’S COMMENCEMENT              143
+
+
+
+
+                             ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+    “Dear Mother of my hart,----”                   _Frontispiece_
+
+                                                       FACING PAGE
+
+    “I ran for the letters and put them in your hand”           14
+
+    “You took me on your lap like I was a little orphun”        20
+
+    “I put on my sylum dress and pined on my hanky”             34
+
+    “Dolly’s grand idea was for the Eggsloosifs to give the
+       orphuns of the sylum a Christmas”                        54
+
+    “O the teeny gold watch with G on it”                       66
+
+    “I must hold my horny hand at my back for politeness”      110
+
+    “I pulled again and there was the real hand of a man”      156
+
+
+
+
+                        THE HEART OF AN ORPHAN
+
+
+_Dear Mother of my hart_,--
+
+I hope you don’t mind my putting that name on you when I aint nothing
+to you any more than some little cat you patted once. I don’t know
+where you are at and you don’t know where I am at so it don’t matter
+much what I call you.
+
+We aint all hole orfuns in this sylum. Lots of us is halfs and the
+halfs write to their whichever they got left every wensday. The holes
+can write too if they got anybody and a stamp. I am a hole and I aint
+got the stamp or anybody so I will take my pen in hand to let you
+know I am well and hope you are the same.
+
+This letter will surprise you only you won’t never get it so it can’t
+surprise you much. I aint seen you for so long about 3 years I gess.
+I was a little girl then do you remember me in the Busy Bee Sewing
+Club at the coledge setelment? I sat at the end of the row and got
+tangels on purpus so you would come and lift them out. You had a
+smile on you like anything and I loved you. So did the other girls
+but not like me. I always knew in my hart when it was the day to sew
+in the Busy Bee Club.
+
+O I would I had a picksure of you dear one and swete but why do I say
+that because I have your picksure in my head. You were not old or
+kidish or tall or sawdoff you were just right.
+
+Do you remember that day you went to my house that was a better day
+than any since. We laughed because you sat on the busted chair by
+misssteak. Do you remember how my mama she coffd and coffd something
+awfool. Well she died in 1 year and 3 weeks. There was Tony and
+Isabella and me. Tony died in the ospittle poor Tony. My papa died.
+It seemed like we had the habbit in our family. I said I wunder if me
+or Isabella will die next time. I do not care much for to be an orfun
+is a hard life for anybody but I did not die.
+
+Me and Isabella come to live at this sylum but Isabella was pretty
+and little so a kind lady took her for her own. I cried and cried
+and said to the maytrun O keep her till I get big enufh to adop her
+myself but she said no you are too yung. I beged for them to let me
+see her not awfun but some times 2 or 3 in a yere but the kind lady
+said no I want her to forget you and all her passed. I no not where
+the kind lady has her or if she is dead by this time.
+
+Nobody wants to adop me because I am long and black in my hair and
+eyes. They do not like orfuns to be long and black. I know because I
+heard them say when they never knew I did. Can I help that mama and
+papa was daygoes? I guess not. But Isabella the kind lady said was a
+little brunet buty so she took her for her own.
+
+Dear Mother of my hart, I heard the maytrun tell the halfs it is not
+polite to write about me and nun about you but what can I write of
+you when you went away before my mother died and I know not where you
+may be.
+
+O dear mother what can I call you more than dear and swete? O dear
+dear dear mother I love you for papa and mama and Tony poor Tony and
+Isabella the kind lady took her for her own. When a family is only 2
+like me and you mother we must love very much don’t you think? I will
+close with 9,000,000,000 kisses and some more.
+
+     Your long black dawter,
+                                                        Giovanna.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_Mother of my hart_,
+
+You will be glad to hear your dear dawter is treeted first rayte in
+this sylum. It is a Christian sylum, we have prayers every day and
+py on satterday. The peaces are small but what does that matter? I
+would not like to be a beggar on the street.
+
+There are 95 orfuns counting holes and halfs. The maytrun is not mean
+but O I want some person to love me. The maytrun can not do that no
+wuman can love 95 orfuns how could she?
+
+We have school but not satterday and sunday for the Lord said let us
+take a rest so he hollered it. I like reading but not rithmetick,
+what is the good of xampels about money and apples and orunges when
+you have nun? I like to draw and sing. I usto hate goggerfry but now
+no more for when I study of any place I say who knows but the mother
+of my hart is there? When the teacher tells point E. and W. and N.
+and S. I say which way do I point at my dear but I get no ans. My
+teacher does not like me too much because my temper is bad so is my
+writing. We must be as neat as we are able and never speak when at
+the table.
+
+Why I made some potry I never knew I could.
+
+Mother of my hart I hate my close. I know that is very bad but how
+would you like to look like 95 orfuns? so nobody could tell which one
+you are. I am long and black like I said and blue is not my culler. I
+feel my legs like any thing and my arms too but I think it is better
+than rags. I am thank full I am not a beggar on the street. So I am
+great full to the maytrun and the ladys of the board.
+
+I sleep in a dormit I can not spell it with 20 orfuns no 19 it is
+no fare to count myself. The girls wash the dishes and spred up the
+beds and we have a bath in the tub 2 times a month and our neckeneres
+washt ever week.
+
+Sunday afternune is for visitors only nobody comes to visit me. It
+aint that candy is not swete to me as to others but a loving word
+would give me much more joy but that is not for me. I did not cry
+last sunday like I awfun do because I thot of you mother dear dear
+dear tho far away. I played you come in the door in your pink dress
+the same you usto wear. A lady said onct but not to me she came to
+stair at the Busy Bees when we sewed. She said you hadn awt to wear a
+dress we could never hope to own but what is the matter with hopeing
+any thing? It dont cost nuthing even an orfun can hope. You come in
+like I said and when you see me you cried out why if here aint my
+little Giovanna and you set down on the bench by me and I lened over
+to you with my head and the maytrun says Giovanna have you gotta
+crick in your neck and you don’t like her to say that so you go away.
+
+  [Illustration: “I ran for the letters and put them in your hand”
+                                                            Page 20]
+
+If you love me as I love you no nife can cut our love into. I didn
+make that a girl told it to me.
+
+We say our prayers at night kneeling by our beds every body at once
+like a big song up to God. I prayed Lord bless my dear mother but the
+girl next she is a half and she said shut up you hole you aint got
+nun so I slapt her good for I got you darlling even if you dont know
+it.
+
+All the orfuns are putting up their pens and I must do the same.
+
+                    Your loving long black dawter,
+                                                        Giovanna.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_Mother of my hart_,
+
+Since I rote last I had a hard time. I have been out in the cold
+crule world. Give me a sylum every time. There was a wuman looking
+over the orfuns and she wanted a big one and she found falt with me
+for not being bigger now what do you think of that? She wanted some
+body to help with the dishes and such she called it light work and
+the maytrun said if she would send me to school and not work me hevy
+she could have me.
+
+I didn like her looks but I thot praps she would do for sorta plane
+mother not the sunday mother of my hart so do not be jellus dear one
+I love but you and that is true and our secret.
+
+When I got to her house I never saw such a durty kitshen and she
+made me clean it good and her mop was something fearce it smelt like
+garbige. I gess she hadn washt her dishes most never. I washt and
+washt and I washt and her dish rag it smelt the same.
+
+She had a little boy and he walkt on the floor when it was wet and I
+told him no and he kickt me and I slapt him good and his ma slapt me
+gooder on the eres.
+
+Finely she said I could go to bed and the sheets was durty and I
+cried for back at the sylum but it was far on 2 street cars so I didn
+know the way. I cried and I cried but I said whats the use she gotta
+take me back if am bad enufh. I will be bad like--no I didn say it
+out loud so it was no sware.
+
+The next day I busted dishes like anything I sast her fearce and all
+I dun was misssteaks and such. Her little boy was much a frade. She
+said she would brake me but she coodn. She said much more I must not
+write for it was sware and I can not spell it anyway. She slapt me
+100 times on my head and eres but I would not cry. I bit her good and
+she screamed. Finely she said you durty brat I take you back where I
+got you and I was glad but I said nuthing for fere she wouldn.
+
+The maytrun was not mad on me for she told the wuman I was not vishus
+when treeted well. The wuman wanted to trade me for a better orfun
+but the maytrun wouldn let her goody!
+
+I seem more near to you mother of my hart now I am back at the sylum.
+I lost your picksure outa my head when I was bad. I will be good for
+you, darlling, so you can be proud of your dawter. If I have thinks
+of you allways praps the thinks will fly to you like little birds. I
+will pray God to put wings to them.
+
+                              Goodby with fond regards, Giovanna.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_Swete mother of my hart_,
+
+Was it a dream you was here today? You lookt a little older and your
+dress was gray trimmed in pink. How funy I was that I could not
+speak. I guess you said she is a quere one. I was like a dum orfun
+they took her off to an other sylum. I was so full inside there
+couldn nun of it get out so you thot I did not remember you as if
+that could be.
+
+I can not forget any word you said to me. You told you was happy
+which makes me glad you bet. You said you had thots of me and ast and
+ast till you come where I was. I bleve that was because I had them
+thots of you and God gave them wings like I prayed. I am writing all
+so you won’t think I am dum like I ack.
+
+Now you are a goner and praps aint coming back for you didn say
+nuthing but I ran for the letters safe and tite under my matres and
+put them in your hand and you stuft them in your little bag made of
+silver chanes and you kist me goodby that is no dream.
+
+  [Illustration: “You took me on your lap like I was a little
+                  orphun”                                Page 21]
+
+Maybe praps you will write me a letter O there wont be a orfun in the
+wurld happy same as me! I won’t be eggspecting it and Ile play I aint
+watching for the post man and when he comes and gives letters to the
+maytrun and she speaks my name Ile play I aint sure she menes me and
+Ile say did you call me maam and Ile run with the letter and hide
+under my bed in the dormit I can not spell it and Ile read and read.
+O you will write wont you dear dear darlling dear mother of my
+hart or I guess I will die I want you to so bad.
+
+                    Your big old long black dawter,
+                                                        Giovanna.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_Mother of my hart_,
+
+I got spots all over me from bunting in to the furnishure when Ime
+trying to know is it true or not. I can’t never tell you how I felt
+inside when you took me on your lap like I was a little orfun and my
+legs hung down most to the floor and I am too hevy for you.
+
+You said to think you had a dawter like me and you never knew it and
+I was awful chokt and couldn find my hanky and you gave me yours and
+you needed it too and had to swipe up your tears on the other corner.
+
+I said I guess you will write me a leter and you said letter nuthing
+I was your own preshus dawter and should go with you and I cried so
+hard you ast me didn I want to go and I was scared for fere you would
+leve me agen.
+
+You said my letters was full of puns. I am sorry but I don’t see how
+it could be for the maytrun is very care full and kepes dope to kill
+them dead.
+
+When ever I think of you down on my knees I flop and I think so awfun
+it would be cheeper to just walk round on my knees but it would ware
+out my stockings and the maytrun would be mad at me and I can’t bare
+to make anybody mad when I am so happy.
+
+O I will be good to you mother of my hart. When you are poor I work
+for you. When you get sick I sit all night by your bed. I get crazzy
+with the clock and I like nights best for I can sleep or eles ly on
+my pillo and make picksures of you in my head.
+
+O don’t be long gone dear angle mother of my hart and don’t let me
+be ever away from you one day all my life any more.
+
+                                            Your own dawter,
+                                                        Giovanna.
+
+
+
+
+                     THE TRANSLATION OF GIOVANNA
+
+
+_Preshus angle Mother_--
+
+yes I will be payshunt not to come live by you. I awto be satisfide
+when you are somewhere loving me and I am somewhere loving you but I
+gotta sorry spot inside that you must be gone so far and long from me.
+
+I usto hate my sylum close but now no more for its gotta pockit to
+keep your darling letter in. All day I love it with my hand and all
+night with my cheek. It makes a wisper in my pockit and I wisper back
+to it. I must be alright with God for him to let you come to me but I
+do not see how that can be for I am awfun nawty in my temper.
+
+There is a hole orfun in this sylum with big moufh and little sents
+and stufs all in it like a baby. She grabt your letter and I grabt it
+back. I most slapt her but it ain’t 2 weeks since I was an orfun my
+own self and she gotta be it all her life for a big moufh and little
+sents is wurse to adop than long and black like me and I didnt slap
+her.
+
+My burthday usto be lost but now I gotta new one and its the day you
+took me for a dawter forever and ever Amen. But does that make me now
+a baby squawling on my cot? No it is the day when happyness sprowted
+in my sowl which the preecher says we all got one to be lost if we
+are wicket.
+
+A new big orfun sleeps in our dormitory the maytrun spelt it. She
+wears a pompydoor on a mouse she made outa the maps in her joggerfry.
+She keeps a flurt book and a whiches dream book under her pillo and
+learns the girls of nights to dream and flurt but they cannot flurt
+much for their hankys are pined to their close and gloves fans and
+parysawls orfuns has nun. I put the sheet in my ears not to lissen
+because I know you wouldnt like me to. I could write how I love you
+on all the paper in the wurld and not have enufh.
+
+                                     your feckshunate dawter
+                                                        Giovanna.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_Angle darling Mother_--
+
+I leve the sylum tomorrow for the boarding school like you want me
+to. I am yours to put where you pleaze.
+
+I will tell you all that past today. I had a bath tho it was only the
+middel of the week. We allways walk 2 and 2 and we reech all down the
+block but this morning it was me with the maytrun and no more. I was
+much afrade the orfuns would brake themselves outa the windos where
+they lookt and wigled their hands to me.
+
+P. S. They didnt.
+
+We went to a big big big store and I lookt in a glass where I seen
+myself all of one peace for the furst time. I guessed I was humly but
+not like that. I scrooocht down for my dress to fall more on my legs
+but it wouldnt.
+
+A lady made a shampoo on my head and a manycure on my nails. I felt
+cheep to let her do for me like I was a baby and I thankt her all
+I could and I felt awful nice and funny when it was finisht. The
+maytrun smiled and smiled like I never knew she could and she put
+dear on me as nobody does on orfuns.
+
+O the close and close she bawt for me with your preshus money! White
+pettys like angles must wear and button shoes with tassels. O my toes
+wigle wigle how glad they are and I bleve I could go anywhere in 3
+jumps. And a red silk dress that wispers wispers all the time like
+your letter in my pocket. Mother of my hart dont think I love you
+more for the close because I loved you the most I could all ready. I
+got so much love for you in me there aint hardly room for my brefh.
+
+I ast the maytrun to let me take my orfun close for a remember what I
+usto wear before you took me.
+
+The orfuns lookt and lookt and her of the big moufh and little sents
+put her finger on my red dress and I let her. I am not glad for
+going. Orfuns is not the wurst compny and this is where you was at 2
+times with me. I will be awful good at the school so you will not be
+mortyfide on me.
+
+                                      your obeedyent dawter
+                                                        Giovanna.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_Angle Mother of my hart_--
+
+this is the night of my furst day at the Eggsloosif School where you
+got me put to learn manners and gramer.
+
+I will write some good to prepair you for the wurst. The dining room
+is butyfull the lights is in red flowers and the plates is deckrated
+with roses and the glasses is made of diamons and there is pink babys
+stuck to the ceeling. The Eggsloosifs wear rings and lockits and
+bows. They laff laff fast and happy all the time. I lookt at them
+very much and was glad you put me so high by your love.
+
+Orfuns pass the food but talk not. Eggsloosifs talk but pass not. A
+lady with teeny aprun must tote the food all round the table. The
+Principle sits at the end. If anybody is bad she does not speke it
+out for Eggsloosifs has tender sowls. She writes it on a peace of
+paper and the lady with the teeny aprun gives it to the girl on the
+quiet. She brung me one and I thot it must be lessons at dinner so I
+read it out loud and it said for me to look how the other girls ust
+their spoons and they all lafft and lafft at me to read it out. O it
+was no fare! It was no fare! They was mean to laff wasnt they Mother?
+I never knew it was on the quiet and I never knew my spoon must fall
+backward in my soup. I didnt feel my red dress no more. I felt all
+scrooocht down like I had on my orfun close. I was full of cry but I
+wouldnt let it out.
+
+Then the lady clered off the table and set it agen with us looking
+and not helping nun. That seemed mean. I thot she did so for brekfas
+but no it was to ete some more. I couldnt so I wisht the orfuns had
+my shair. I tried so as not to be quere but my swallo wouldnt ack.
+
+I never seen when the lady come to me with gravey and I hit it with
+my elbow and it spilt on a girls dress and I pollygized the best I
+could but she was mad and she said the ideah of you being goose enufh
+to adop me and think you could make a lady outa me. I said I aint
+nuthing but she is and you let her be. I slapt that girl good on the
+cheek. When you slap poorness she will slap back but richness has
+histerick awful for her mother never gave her no spanks so this was
+her furst blow.
+
+The Principle called me ungreatful protee jay to you or I wouldnt a
+dun what I dun. I ans. no mam I am a greatful jay to her no matter
+how I ack and she sorta chokt and sent me upstairs to think it over
+with my conshents and my conshents will ever say the same it was my
+falt to hit the gravey but the slap was not on me it was on her to
+put that name to you. When this letter flys where you are at there
+will fly the letter of the Principle to tell how bad I was all ready.
+I don’t care! I don’t care! O its fearce how I dont care and I got
+tear spots all over my red dress.
+
+I guess its no use mother of my hart. I am not worth you should have
+such pains on me and thats the true. The ways of poorness is not the
+ways of richness the ways of badness is not the ways of goodness. I
+aint no more fittn to be your dawter than the orfun of the big moufh
+and little sents. But O write to me that you do not hate me in your
+hart. Write that I am not all misssteak to you. Write how you kinda
+like me a little nawty and unfittn tho I be.
+
+                                       your awful sorry
+                                                        Giovanna.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_Preshus goner angle Mother_--
+
+it is now the night of my furst week at this school and you aint sent
+no ans. to my letter.
+
+The Eggsloosifs say I am low to slap a girl so they got tayboo on
+me. They never speak to a tayboo cept they have to before a teacher
+and if anybody was good to that one they would put tayboo on her the
+same. They made a line with chak round my desk that nobody must cross
+to come by me. Then they talk how low I am like I had no ears. The
+class pote says I am a weed in the middel of the flowers. I never cry
+because I wouldnt do them that much good. I just hate them with my
+eyes. What’s the good of a Jim suit when the music dont say nothing
+to your toes? I am so sorry all days that no lesson can stick to my
+mind.
+
+But tayboos and such is not my big wo. I know in my hart you are
+sorry you took me for a dawter. I see now the kind you want like
+these Eggsloosifs but I got no good start to be that class. I was
+not made to be a parlor dawter to you Mother of my hart but let me
+be a kitshen dawter. No dishes would be greesy if I wash for you. No
+floors would be big and durty if I scrub for you! O dear dear mother
+dont throw me away for no good but keep me for a kitshen dawter.
+
+                                          your back door
+                                                        Giovanna.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_Dear lady what usto be my Mother_--
+
+today I was in the class of gramer and the teacher said Giovanna what
+is chair and I ans. chair is a noun on which to set and the girls
+lafft and I had much mad and shame. I heard out on the street some
+one to cry potaytoes potaytoes.
+
+  [Illustration: “I put on my sylum dress and pined on my hanky”
+                                                            Page 35]
+
+It was the voice of Luigi a daygo he peddels by the sylum and he
+usto be frends with my father. I run out of that school awful quick.
+Luigi did not know me in my Eggsloosif dress and he ast do you want
+some potaytoes Miss? Then he knew me and I clum upon the wagon and I
+said go fast I wanto lope with you back to the sylum for I hate this
+school and all contaned. He whipt the horse round the corner and then
+more slow for it skun the potaytoes and I told him all and no lies.
+He ans. lopes was no fare to you so he stopt the wagon and down I
+clum and a teacher of the school come running and she held me by the
+hand like I would lope some more but I wouldnt. The girls lafft
+very much and teezed me till I felt sick with shame and mad. The
+class pote made a song.
+
+    see how low daygoes
+    run for potaytoes.
+
+I hate that class pote I do indede. I hate all the fokes I got and I
+lost all the fokes I love. I will go now and put on my sylum close so
+as to be ready for back when the Principle will say you want me to.
+That dress would be alright with me if it only had an angle letter
+from you to wisper in the pockit but now no more so my good days are
+all dun. I guess God knew I was not good enufh to be your dawter for
+that he let me to spill the gravey and slap the Eggsloosif so your
+love to me all friz up in your hart.
+
+                               her which usto be your dawter
+                                                        Giovanna.
+
+P. S. I put on my sylum dress and pined on my hanky like I usto and I
+come where the girls was and they lookt and lookt and I said I wear
+the kind of close like what I am. I hate you all give me tin spoons
+and no tayboo. The girls lookt and lookt some more and lafft not.
+Then they was took with much shame on themselves and they pollygized
+for what they dun to me. They said I was darling and we cried some
+and lafft some and huged and kist very much and all said they ast me
+furst to borro my sylum dress for to ware in a play and we huged more
+and now I love Eggsloosifs same as orfuns.
+
+O but the best was to get your dear dear dear letter. O to think it
+was just a storm mussed up the railroad and you love me ever and
+allways the same!
+
+Xcuse the funny spots my tears made them when I thot the chane
+between us 2 was busted. Now we can play they are laffs I am so glad!
+
+                                                               G.
+
+
+
+
+                   “LITTLE SISTER IN CAGE OF GOLD”
+
+
+_Mother Mother Mother_,--
+
+When I make the start with that precous word I do not know to stop. O
+I love how you make G on envelops. I allways kiss that G I do indeed.
+
+My new beautiful duster razen tailer soot came in a box today. If God
+had not dyed me so Daygo brown at first, Mother, I could look just
+like the Eggsloosifs of this school in that duster razen tailer soot.
+I cannot help my color but I would be no more Daygo inside because
+you are not. This is not mean to my dear parents for they are all
+dead and Tony got T. B. in his joynts and died in the ospittle poor
+Tony. Isabella was a little brunet beauty and a kind lady took her
+for her own and I know not if she is dead also but I think yes for
+that is like our famly.
+
+I have a sorry spot in me for what past today. Luigi--you know the
+man of fruits and potaytoes who was friend to my father--came to see
+me but he never because the maid called the same teacher that ran
+behind me the day I loped with Luigi back to the sylum because the
+girls put tayboo on me. That teacher has bad ideahs of Luigi that are
+no fair because Luigi didnt stand for lopes atall but she wouldnt let
+him make more talk in the door but shut it tight.
+
+The class poet name Dolly was sent to the office for wispering which
+is by the door so she heard all. She is a real poet because she cant
+help it no more than a fitty orfun we had once at the sylum she ran
+the maytrun most crazy. Dolly had to write the poetry on Venusses
+back or she said it woulda been lost to the world and what a pity.
+Venus is a little white saint in the office. Dolly has a nawty
+way not respeckfull of her betters but she says when she acts like
+badness it is only jeenyus in the fire. Here is the poetry. I dont
+like it for not respeckfull of Luigi.
+
+    The Daygo shook his earings gold
+    And begged he might the child behold
+    The Teacher froze him with her glasses
+    Sir you keep me from my classes
+    Avaunt thou son of garlick do!
+    Giovanna flys too high for you!
+
+P. S. Dolly says such was not the words of that teacher but you
+cannot write the true in poetry or it will not stand right on its
+ends.
+
+O I have a fraid Luigi will believe I am grown hawty and how could I
+when I would be a whole orfun in the sylum this minute just the same
+like I was if you hadnt took me out by your love.
+
+                                          Your ownest ownest
+                                                        Giovanna.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_Dear Mother Mother Dear_,--
+
+I guess it was God who got me sent to the office not for badness but
+3 pencils. The Principle said listen Giovanna all days that old fruit
+peddler friend of yours makes one same song up to this school when
+he goes by on his waggon. I listened and shook and shook for it was
+Luigi and he made no song but only to play sing in Daygo talk “I know
+where is one little bird name Isabella in cage of gold.” He did that
+way to tell me because he got such scare on that teacher he hadnt
+dare to ring the bell. I beg the Principle please xcuse all shakes
+because Isabella usto be my sister and she was a little brunet beauty
+and a kind lady took her for her own.
+
+The Principle sent the maid quick to run behind Luigi which she done
+and he had a fraid to whoa but he did and sat on the big black chair
+in the office and the Principle was not hawty but treated him grand
+like he was a payrent of this school.
+
+Luigi tell of sell the orange and the apple in one street of rich. He
+tell one house most big and wide and high and wonderfull. He tell the
+curtains like vail of Virgin in church of Italy where his madre do
+kiss that vail in its corner. He tell one little miss come put back
+curtins with her hands to look--little miss dressed in pink silk all
+ruffledy like biggest doll in Christmas window. Little miss got long
+black curls and face of Isabella. No he not make catch the mistake
+for didnt he see her since bambina to play with his own bambinas?
+Was he old to have eyes of blind beggar? No it was Isabella--he say
+Isabella till he die and no mistake. Then Luigi went away.
+
+The Principle said Giovanna Saterday a teacher will take you to see
+your sister. I answer that cannot be for the kind lady wished her to
+forget me and all her past. She will never let me in. The Principle
+said real hawty but not at me “you got a Bennyfactor now good as her
+and a teacher of this school will company you. That is enough.”
+
+So I went back upstairs and the teacher said where are the pencils? I
+answer please what pencils? The teacher saw my looks and she thought
+I was sick but I wasnt. It was just my thinks of Isabella jumping
+round in me. Soon we were dissmist and I ran quick here to my room to
+tell you all.
+
+Today is Wensday and I got to live Thursday and Friday before I can
+get to Saterday. For it is a rule of this school not to make visits
+in the middle of weeks.
+
+O but 3 days is not so long as perhaps never and to think my darling
+sister is not dead in her grave like I expected. When God made the
+start to be good to me He dont forget a thing.
+
+                                      Your adoring      Giovanna.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_Angel Mother of my life_,--
+
+It is my joy that to-morrow is Saterday when a teacher will take me
+to visit Isabella. Can my little sister forget me in one year? Can
+she forget how I held her on our doorstep at the tenement and how I
+made curls on her and washed her dress and licked any kid that would
+teeze her and ate myself the most spoiled sides of apples which Papa
+gave us that could not sell? He was a man of fruits like Luigi but
+more stile for he had a stand and no waggon. Can she forget how she
+slept with me and the bannannas and I all times put more blankit to
+her and not to me? But if she has gone and forgot all I will not have
+mean feels at her because she was little.
+
+But O Mother the Eggsloosifs all say that kind lady was crule and
+selfish to separate 2 sisters like she done and its the true. She was
+jellus that Isabella would love anybody else but her. Now perhaps my
+baby sister has gone and lost her love for me out of her heart and
+all by the fault of that kind lady. The priest says on Sunday that
+hate is wicket but I cant help to hate hate hate her hard and fierce.
+If she has woe I care not for look at the woe she made to me. I didnt
+ask her to adopt me the long brown old thing nobody could want but
+you and I dont know how you did but I begged her only to let me see
+Isabella 2 or 3 × in a year because God put her to me for a sister
+but she wouldnt. I have no sure she will let me in for I know her
+hawty and jellus as she is but she cannot help I should walk by her
+house and look for Isabella at the window. But I hope in no window to
+see that kind lady for the hate I got on her.
+
+Now I will shut her out of my head and only keep in my thoughts of
+Isabella.
+
+It is bedtime but my eyes dont want to sleep for my thinks of
+Isabella and they do too so I can get quicker to Saterday. When I
+say my prayers and my goodnight to you by my bed I will say also
+goodnight my baby sister in cage of gold. I love down to Isabella
+Mother like I love up to you. I pray God will not let her feckshun
+for me get lost out of her.
+
+                               Your O so happy      Giovanna.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_Only Mother of my Soul_,--
+
+We found the place me and the teacher. It was a palace that house but
+O mother by the front door was big bow of black. I know what means
+black bows for we had them all times in our famly not so big but 25
+dolars is no cheap funrals and must make stile for the naybors and
+the man takes the bow the minute the cawfin is gone out of the door
+but for funrals of 15 dolars he wont lend his bow to nobody.
+
+I shook and shook and say I might a known Isabella would be dead for
+my family is like that but the teacher answer it would not be so
+black and big for a child. I said no she was little and curly and I
+felt some better but queer for it is sorry anybody must die. The
+teacher rang the door bell and the maid came and her eyes were pink
+with weeps. She told that the lady didnt want to see nobody because
+she was dead. The teacher asked could we speak to the child Isabella
+and the maid said no she was asleep after much crys but she let us in
+a room by the door with gold chairs and talked like wispering.
+
+She told how Isabella was to that lady her apple in the eye and never
+did she want the child one minute not by her side and Isabella was
+all times fechshunate with her and sweet in her temper. The lady
+bought her clothes always to put her beauty in other dress like a
+doll. The little girl sing like bright angel up in the sky and the
+lady have every day expensif teacher of voice to come. Upstairs was
+big room of prettys just for her to play and the lady usto take her
+to stores and when Isabella point her finger to anything it got
+bought awful quick.
+
+O Mother the shame I felt in me to think of my wicket hate and her so
+good to put Isabella like a princess in the green book you gave me.
+
+The maid spoke more to wisper as she tell how the lady went dead in
+the night when Isabella didnt know and in the morning she which her
+name is Vicktoria led the child to look fairwell and Isabella cry
+and cry with grief and kiss her Bennyfactor and beg her to wake up
+and speak but the lady couldnt for she was dead. Then Vicktoria took
+Isabella away and she cry very much but now she sleep her nap and
+forget her woe.
+
+The teacher said “letersleep.” She said also “This girl is her sister
+name Giovanna.” The maid looked surprised like she seen a booger
+man in the dark. She tell how she got some words the lady gave her
+for me before she died. “Vicktoria find that girl of hungry eyes
+sister to my Isabella and beg her forgive a selfish woman who was so
+lonesome she wanted some person to love her most and not love worse a
+sister or anybody.”
+
+I chokt and chokt and reached for my hanky. I said “O tell her for
+me--” but what was the good to say anything with the black bow on the
+door and her deadngone? The teacher said better for us to go now and
+we so went.
+
+Mother I wish you could hold me on your lap tonight like I was
+little as Isabella. I got such shame on my hate of my sister’s good
+Bennyfactor seems as if it will burn me up. O if I could just beg her
+please excuse my nawty hate all gone! Look Mother how I hated these
+darling Eggsloosifs at first. But this is worse for the Eggsloosifs
+are not deadngone.
+
+Now Isabella is back to orfun and I spose they will send her again
+to the sylum. She must have forgot all her orfun ways like ugly
+dress and no cake and nobody to call dear on you. It will be better
+than for her little hands to reach for breakfast in cans of garbige
+but she will not have those thinks of comfort. She will have thinks
+instead of the princess she was in the house of her Bennyfactor. I
+have a fraid she will die of grief and differents. Mother I know in
+my conshents what I ought. It is to go and be her in the sylum so she
+can come here and be me. That is my duty. I am a mean selfish pig
+sister if I dont and her so little and tender and no more ust. I can
+stand to give her my shiny bed of brass and my deserts and my duster
+razen tailer soot. I can stand to give her the Eggsloosifs dear
+though they be to me and Dolly my precious chum and the teachers and
+the Principle. But when I think to give you to Isabella, Mother of
+my heart, O how can I do that? All of me just holds tight to you and
+dont want to let go never!
+
+Please write very quick and say your good thinks what I must do and
+perhaps by that time I wont mind quite so awful.
+
+I know God dont want no prayer tonight out of any person wicket like
+me to hate that Bennyfactor lady so I will make none.
+
+                                       Giovanna of the bad heart.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_Wonderfullest Mother in the big world_,--
+
+Today I was doing my practice and to think how that piano is full of
+scales and will the postman bring your darling letter and when can I
+see Isabella. The maid came and said company in the recepshun room
+and I told her Mary you mean another girl because companys I never do
+have in my long life but she said Miss Giovanna it is 2 company to
+ask for you. So I went.
+
+O the feelings that did jump in me when I see it was Isabella with
+Vicktoria! My sister is longer in the legs and curls. Her dress black
+for sadness but plenty of stile and no hanky pinned on. Vicktoria
+was dressed in sadness also. That is a way of richness. Poorness is
+just as sorry to lose a piece of the famly but must cry in same dress
+red or pink except to borrow of naybors black vails and skirts not to
+shame the dead one at its funral.
+
+I looked and looked and Isabella looked and looked. Vicktoria said
+Miss Isabella kiss your sister and she did very polite and we looked
+more and more. A teacher came and said the children need lonesome for
+break the eyes. Giovanna take her to your room which I done.
+
+We never did break our eyes like that teacher said but we made the
+start and Isabella let me hug her like crazy and she was glad and
+loved me the same like she usto. I showed her your picture and told
+her of your goodness and she said that was just like her Mama and
+her pretty face all fussed up to weep but I kissed her and talked
+her back past the sylum to the doorstep of the tenement and she
+remembered how a mean kid squoze his orange in her eye on purpose and
+how I whailed that kid and she laughed. She did not want to go so
+soon with Vicktoria but Vicktoria said it was time.
+
+I never knew how anybody could make wills for people to mind when
+that person is deadngone. That Bennyfactor lady make a will about
+Isabella to go to a school in other city where the Principle of that
+school usto be girls with her and that Isabella have lessons to sing
+and bynby sail to Italy for the best. So Isabella will be some lost
+to me again but not bad for now we can have stamps.
+
+And O Mother Mother, I have no duty to give you to Isabella and go
+back to the sylum! I got a glad in me big as a house for that! I have
+no duty not to be the same
+
+                               Long brown Giovanna of your heart.
+
+
+
+
+                   THE MERRY CHRISTMAS OF GIOVANNA
+
+
+_Mother of my thankful heart_,--
+
+Yesterday was Thanksgiving and the Principal said in chapel for us to
+count our bennyfits up to God. That was easy like anything because
+when he gave you to me seems like he said “Giovanna, here is all your
+bennyfits in one package.”
+
+Our school turkey was big as a little ash barrel and the dinner so
+many courses it was like a week of meals tied together.
+
+I fell awake in the middle of Thankful Night and first believed me to
+be back in the sylum for the many girls in white nightys. But when I
+saw those nightys all embroidery and my shiny bed of brass and one
+girl to toast marshmallows on the steam heat I knew the difference
+and was glad. Dolly my poet chum now rooms with me by both our wish.
+Dolly stood on her bed making her arms act like the priest’s and
+whispered a speech most out loud to say she had been taken with an
+idea in her sleep very grand even noble.
+
+  [Illustration: “Dolly’s grand idea was for the Eggsloosifs to
+                  give the orphuns a Christmas”          Page 54]
+
+The Eggsloosifs laughed much and whispered “Here! here!” and sat
+on our beds and floors to listen and passed chockylet creams. Only
+one was sleepy and said pickle that idea but the rest put shame and
+pillows on her. I asked “Dolly, is it a new poem?” and she answered
+“no but better for a poem is just litteryture and this idea is all
+true izem.” I asked “What’s izem Dolly?” but she never explained.
+She made more speech but low for teachers wake easy. She said there
+is us pampered darlings of our doting parents and there’s orfuns who
+are Miss Fortune’s wafes and poor things. Her grand idea was for the
+Eggsloosifs to give the orfuns of the sylum a Christmas like they
+never dreamed could be in this world. The girls jumped themselves
+up and danced in their bear feet for glad of my chum’s noble idea and
+I never loved Eggsloosifs quite so hard as that minute.
+
+Dolly put me in her speech to name me cyclopede of orfun lore who
+must understand their habits and for me to all times speak up.
+
+One girl said the orfuns could use her tree the next day after
+the day after Christmas. I said did they truly want the cyclopede
+of orfun lore to speak up? They answered “Yes, lay on mack duff.”
+I shook some in my bed but lay on like they said and explained
+how orfuns must be ever grateful for trees but all years to have
+Christmas not on the hollyday but after other persons have finished
+tastes like cold potatoes to their souls.
+
+The girls said this must be no cold potato Christmas. They decided to
+beg their parents to sellybrate their presents at home Christmas Eve
+and to let them eat early Christmas Day so as to fetch the orfuns to
+the school before dark and all so promised except one girl that lives
+far off in the geography.
+
+Another girl said “Lets give the orfuns turkey dinner before the
+tree,” but some complained so many relayshuns wait for presents they
+could not put that much allowance onto orfuns.
+
+But an Eggsloosif named Bessie made to answer “Lets ask the Principal
+if we have no deserts on our dinners from now to Christmas perhaps
+she will give us turkey dinner for the orfuns.”
+
+The girl of sleepy replied “That is easy now to say when we have
+just finished mints pie and plum pudding and cake and ice cream and
+raisins and nuts all in one Thankful dinner but a month of no deserts
+would be terrible and must reduce us all to skinnybone.” The other
+Eggsloosifs made laughs on her and more pillows and said no deserts
+was allright with them for orfuns’ sake.
+
+Dolly poeted when she never knew she was going to.
+
+   “Dear cyclopede of orfun lore,
+    O wont you please to tell us more?”
+
+So I told how the presents of orfuns are most times the same for all.
+You look at your present and then 3 or 4 dozen orfuns hold the same
+in their hands and if you let go of it you can tell no more if it is
+really that one except yours was not broken and the one you now got
+is so.
+
+The Eggsloosifs had serious looks on them and said all gifts must be
+different. They sang to me Dolly’s poetry.
+
+   “Dear cyclopede of orfun lore,
+    O wont you please to tell us more?”
+
+So I told that if not the same then orfun presents must be already
+busted prettys of richness. In my sylum Christmas one time I got a
+doll like I prayed by my bed very beautiful except she missed one
+foot and one hand and one eye and a crack in her cheek. I tried to
+think onto her all that was missed but I never could so I played
+instead how she had been whaled by a cruel father but was now a whole
+and adopt by me to love better for her misseds and whales.
+
+Dolly hugged me and all promised no gifts must be busted and sang
+Dolly’s poetry at me again to speak up more.
+
+I answered “This next is too much for orfuns but O the ache I usto
+have in me for a present tied in tisshoe paper with a red ribbon! I
+ached and ached and ached for that like a pain to take medicine with
+a spoon for cure.”
+
+All exclaimed tisshoe paper with red ribbon must be wrapped round the
+gifts like for relayshuns or anybody.
+
+I said I must wear my orfuns clothes for them not to see me that usto
+be orfun now in dress of richness. Dolly made her arms act like 6
+priests for telling all to wear orfun dress same as me and look like
+wholes. The Eggsloosifs cried “O lets! lets! lets!” and the girl who
+lives far in the geography said she would write her family to let her
+stay and have cold potato Christmas at home after all had finished so
+she could wear a sylum dress.
+
+But I said that is no fair because orfuns want to stare at pretty
+clothes and not come here to see like their own selves in the
+lookinglass.
+
+Dolly was taken with another idea so big it made her most crazy--that
+was to put the pretty clothes on the orfuns’ backs to keep. She asked
+me how many orfuns and I answered I believed the orfuns to be about
+the same thickness of Eggsloosifs and she declared one girl must
+dress one orfun perhaps not new but good and pretty.
+
+All got excited and forgot teachers and the Principal opened the door
+in a keemono. Dolly disappeared under the blanket but her head was
+wrong way round to her feet on the pillow.
+
+The Principal went to look haughty but her eyes laughed and the girls
+begged her in which she came and they told her all. She said we might
+make Christmas for orfuns and econymze by no deserts for orfun turkey
+but now to bed and not catch our deathycolds which all so done very
+happy.
+
+It is my turn to practice scales on the piano so I will say goodbye,
+darling bennyfit Mother of me.
+
+                                                        Giovanna.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_Angel Christmas present Mother_,--
+
+We have so much orfun business in this school we almost cannot do our
+practice and lessons. The girls all secured easy the dresses but now
+have much trouble to find the right orfun which fits in the dress.
+All Saturdays go committys of Eggsloosifs to the sylum for measuring
+orfuns but just with their guess not to spoil the surprise.
+
+Dolly begged her dress off an Aunt with a little girl cousin. It is
+navy blue silk deckrated with ruffles so her orfun must be 7 like the
+dress. She picked out a whole named Lizzie to fit it fine so that is
+not her grief and woe but it comes of asking Lizzie what she wants
+for presents and Lizzie begged “O please a Mama and a Papa.” Dolly
+has that kind of heart to promise first and then wonder if she can
+so now she’s got to anyway and it puts her most crazy. If Lizzie
+could just be the pretty kind but her compleckshun is pale trimmed
+with freckles and her teeth are some gone and not grown in yet. Her
+hair is red pigtales. Her nose skwints up a little but not enough to
+notice much and she has a good blue eye and a feckshunate dishpishin.
+Dolly names her hair tisshen but the Eggsloosifs laugh and say no,
+plain carrots. They all times advise Dolly to raffel her off at
+the tree with tickets but my noble chum will ever answer “Heethen
+creatures! raffel off your own orfuns if you want to but my Lizzie
+never do I raffel! I will find her sootybell parents or adopt her
+myself.”
+
+It’s a tight secret only Dolly lets me tell just you she’s got the
+parents of Lizzie all picked but they don’t know it yet and Dolly has
+awful scares to imagine how they will act when the news gets broke
+on them. It is an Aunt and Uncle not the one she begged the dress
+off of but another named Winnyfred and John with no child and rich
+like anything. Dolly makes little tacks on their hearts like to say
+“What is home without an orfun?” But her Uncle will ever answer “When
+orfun comes in at the door piece flies out of the window” which is a
+mistake for Lizzie is not the kind to break the window like Dolly’s
+Uncle thinks.
+
+This does not discourage my poet chum. She has a skeem to fix all
+Christmas night at the tree. The Eggsloosifs will invite their
+relayshuns and the halfs their whichever they got lefts and the
+maytrun will company the wholes. Dolly says anybody must give thanks
+for presents and never look like it is not the best thing they want
+in the big world so she will give Lizzie to her Aunt and Uncle for
+a present and them to Lizzie for a present and all live happy ever
+after and three off her list. I tell Dolly a present can be no fair
+like a lady in our tennyment O awful poor and a daygo organist made
+a present to her little boy of a sick monkey that must all days eat
+cream and bannannas. Dolly says the cases are different but she will
+ask the Principal so I may be satisfied.
+
+Mother I had to choose the orfun of big mouth and little sense
+because nobody else could like her looks and ways but I know what
+feels you have to be that kind no person wants. She is most my size
+and will fit in my plain brown rainy dress or my red silk. The
+Principal says in chapel “mind your conshents” so I asked mine which
+dress? One conshent says “Shame Giovanna selfish pig girl, think how
+that orfun put her finger to that red silk dress at the sylum the
+day it was bought and said ‘pretty pretty’ and now with that dress
+on her she will be happy up to the sky and believe she is an angel.”
+And then another conshent will speak “Ungrateful one to give away
+the so beautiful dress of red whistling silk the first bought you by
+your darling Bennyfactor Mother that whistles all the time of her!
+What can it whistle to that orfun of big mouth and little sense?” Now
+Mother what do I make with those conshents? Our letters must go far
+so it will be done before I get your advice to tell what conshent I
+shall mind.
+
+O if you could visit me that would be my Christmas present of the
+whole world but you say that cannot happen. I will try and not make
+too much sadness to myself for that because when I am your daughter
+every day is Christmas for my thinks of you.
+
+                                                        Giovanna.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_Mother of my Christmas heart_,--
+
+There stays just your me tonight in this school of many girls. All
+the Eggsloosifs sellybrate Christmas Eve at home except her that
+lives far in the geography and she went to Dolly’s tree not to notice
+homesick aches in her soul like she got simptums.
+
+Dolly invited me so hard she most got mad on me not to go but I never
+could for lonesome. Here I have no lonesome but glad instead because
+you said in your preciousest letter of all that this Eve I could know
+you were writing to me. Last Christmas I was mixed with many orfuns
+but felt like sollytude. This Christmas I got such company as nobody
+ever had that together we write to each other. Last Christmas at the
+sylum I received a work basket with two spools and thimbel but no
+surprise for they were all on the maytrun’s bed when I swept her room
+and no names just any basket to whatever orfun. The maytrun named
+me ungrateful to cry but Mother how could Christmas be glad when my
+surprise was lost?
+
+I usto not think so much of Santa Claus as some to treat richness all
+times better than poorness but I learned off a kid on our doorstep
+at the tennyment that there isn’t any. So its no fair to blame a
+person who never was anybody and I believe a really truly Santa Claus
+would act like his photograf looks and not forget the stockings of
+poorness--
+
+  [Illustration: “O the teeny gold watch with G on it”
+                                                         Page 67]
+
+The _s_ of poorness has the long tale because in that minute the maid
+knocked with a bundle for me. This is my thoughts to open that box.
+O! O! O! O! O! O! O! To think you put in prettys for me to give to
+all the names in my letters. Dolly will jump and dance at the nugget
+buckle. Luigi will put a smile on him like anything to see the yellow
+pipe. O Mother never before in my long life did I give a present to
+any person. For somebody to look on me with present looks that will
+be my all new joy with this first Christmas to be your daughter.
+
+In the boxes corner stayed a little package in tisshoe paper tied
+with red ribbon. O the teeny gold watch with G on it in pearls and
+a pearl pin to fasten it on top of my heart! O Mother it never can
+be me that usto be orfun Giovanna to own that watch! It must be a
+fairy dream and I will wake up in the sylum to say “What a dream I
+dreamed!” Always your presents talk to me of you or look at me with
+your looks but this watch speaks most of all not to stop in day
+or night or get tired. I say to it “Little angel watch she is the
+Mother of my--” And that watch so smart ticks back “heart, heart,
+heart, heart.” No other watch could be smart like this of pearly G
+and teeny golden hands.
+
+O but it makes me feel twice as dreadful about your Christmas present
+you won’t get from me for an awful long time like next summer. If you
+are thinking this minute I forgot your present that is not the true
+but despare and most wear out my brains that is the true and now what
+looks like no gift.
+
+I was going to buy you a pretty with the money you sent for a swetter
+but the Principal said in chapel to take the money of your parents
+to buy them gifts what love in that? Give them what costs you effort
+and self denial. And she talked more to say never give debty presents
+just because you owe them or hopeful presents to get one back. Dolly
+raised her hand and asked “What if somebody needs a present which
+they don’t want?” The girls giggled to guess she meant Lizzie. The
+Principal replied “Decide that yourself with love and tact. Young
+ladies you are dismissed to your classrooms.”
+
+Dolly says love and tact and the Principal and a quarter which fell
+heads up are all on her side to give Lizzie to her Uncle and Aunt at
+the tree. She made a poem for her parents out of her own poetry but
+I cannot poet for you Mother because it must fall on one out of the
+sky or its no good. A musical girl dedycated her parents many staffs
+full of tunes but I could only make you some scales what are notes
+upstairs and downstairs and that would be no present. A very smart
+girl in lessons was to give her prize if earned which made me worse
+despare for many girls shorter in their skirts are longer than me in
+their grades which must put shame on you and the prize for spelling
+is past my hope so how could I think to earn a prize except for
+stupid and faults?
+
+Friday was the last day of this school turn, and the Principal gave
+out the prizes with many cheers from all and her of smartness earned
+the one for grammar which was a poetry book. At last the Principal
+said there was one more prize to decide by vote of all the girls
+which pupil had got most better in manners by trying hard. O Mother
+that prize was given to me and not by fair because no other girl here
+was ever orfun so I had the head start in backness. I was so scared I
+almost could not hold out my hand and to walk back to my seat I did
+not know where it stood with the Eggsloosifs to clap clap their hands
+so much. By and by when I opened the package the Principal asked me
+why I look so disapointed. I answered “It is very beautiful and never
+did I earn it but what can my Mother make with a Girl’s Memory Book
+of School for a Christmas present?” She explained that if I wrote it
+full of memorys for you Mother it would be a piece of real daughter
+present same as Dolly’s and the musical girl’s and her of smartness.
+But it is my grief and woe you will not get it in time for Christmas
+because I cannot write in it memorys that are not to happen yet but
+must wait till they happen.
+
+I have decided to give away my red silk dress because my Christmas
+conshent says “Giovanna you got such lots and that orfun so little.”
+O my little darling watch! It now ticks “You got to stop, you got to
+stop” because the electric will be off in one minute and so goodnight
+Darling Mother from little watch and me.
+
+                                                        Giovanna.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_Mother of my Merry Christmas Heart_,--
+
+The candles are just blown out on the orfun tree and I took a pink
+one not much burnt to put in the teeny silver candlestick Dolly gave
+me so I can write to you after electric is off. I believe this candle
+likes to burn itself up for that because it waves round its little
+flame as if to speak “Giovanna remember me to your Mother.”
+
+The Eggsloosifs all rushed back today quick as possible after their
+deserts to dress themselves orfun style. Such laughs never were heard
+in the real kind. Then came the jenuine orfuns and O the looks on
+them to behold the immitashun orfuns! That orfun which usto make tall
+her pompydoor with the maps out of her geography said if she had
+known she was invited just to other sylum she never woulda come.
+
+The Eggsloosifs took each one her orfun to her room and dressed her
+all sweet and pretty and stylish like a girl of richness with two
+parents. One orfun said to her Eggsloosif “I thank you but keep this
+dress to your own self because you look worse poor than me.” And the
+father of that Eggsloosif is a 1000000air.
+
+Mine which was her of big mouth and little sense all times touched
+the red silk with her finger and repeated “My red dress, my red
+dress” like my watch ticks and I was glad to see her love it that
+hard.
+
+Dolly’s Lizzie turned not pretty but so Dolly named her quaint and
+said that was more distinggay. Lizzie asked “Will my new Mama like me
+better in this dress?” And Dolly kissed her and pinned a card on her
+“Merry Christmas to dear Aunt Winnyfred and Uncle John from Dolly.”
+But Lizzie never saw Dolly wring her hands to me on the quiet to show
+what scares she got on herself.
+
+Mother when all was finished the orfuns made immitashun Eggsloosifs
+like the Eggsloosifs made immitashun orfuns--I guess because the
+Eggsloosifs in dress of poorness acted like fixed grand for a party
+and the orfuns could not forget so quick their scroocht down
+feelings even in dress of richness.
+
+Next was the turkey dinner with the orfuns in the chairs and the
+Eggsloosifs to act like maids. All their swallows could work fine and
+they were very satisfied except Lizzie teased to sit between her Mama
+and Papa but Dolly told her they were not yet come.
+
+After turkey dinner all went to the big hall of the Christmas tree
+and there stayed the parents and relayshuns and whichevers. Dolly
+looked so pityfull for her feelings on Lizzie a kind old man thought
+she was a jenuine and tried to give her a dollar in her hand but she
+explaned no thank you.
+
+The janitor played he was Santa Claus and passed the presents and O
+the joy and surprise of those orfuns most paralized them. I gave mine
+a doll because her sense is younger than she is and it seemed as if
+she couldn’t hug it enough and I was glad.
+
+But poor little Lizzie looked like weeps and said to Dolly “Where
+is my Mama and Papa like you promised?” My chum led her pretty near
+to her Uncle and Aunt where they sat and whispered to Lizzie which
+they were and ran to hide behind the tree. Lizzie stept close and
+close till Uncle John said “Whose little girl are you?” and she
+answered “I am yours, Papa,” and the surprise that Uncle had on him
+was wonderful. Aunt Winnyfred spoke “What nonsents! Run to your Mama,
+child,” but she answered “You are my Mama.”
+
+Uncle John looked on her card and exclaimed “O that Dolly!” Aunt
+Winnyfred explaned to Lizzie how she did not want a little girl and
+all was mistake.
+
+Lizzie got that kind of disapoint which hurts so bad you don’t cry
+the first minute and they thought she was satisfied but she fell
+herself down on the floor and her grief and woe were dreadful and she
+all times talked in her cry “O my Papa don’t want me! O my Mama don’t
+want me!”
+
+Dolly ran to comfort her but she would take no comfort. Aunt
+Winnyfred stood up and spoke, “Let us go! this is very painful! Dolly
+you must be punished!” But Uncle John answered “Why not take her
+along and look her over? Anyway she said first she was mine.” Aunt
+Winnyfred talked back “Just because you sat on that side so she came
+first to you.” So Uncle John carried her but Aunt Winnyfred held her
+hand.
+
+The little candle is most gone and so is my first merry Christmas
+but I got plenty of merryness this time to catch up on all I missed
+before.
+
+O Mother what a long chain you started by your goodness to me. The
+Eggsloosifs tied some more to that chain by this wonderful surprise
+on the sylum; Aunt Winnyfred and Uncle John made another piece to
+adopt Lizzie. And I never did a thing to make it longer but perhaps I
+can some day. That is my wish.
+
+I have just one more minute to say Merry Christmas so with that
+I will stop my letter. Merry Christmas, Mother! Merry Christmas,
+Isabella! Merry Christmas, orfuns! Merry Christmas, Eggsloosifs!
+Merry Christmas, all the people in the big world! Merry Christmas,
+dear God up in heaven!
+
+                                                        Giovanna.
+
+
+
+
+                    GIOVANNA’S ITALIAN RENAISSANCE
+
+
+_Mother of my Italian heart_,--
+
+Such wonderful bran news I got today for you and me to be glad
+about--the teacher spoke it right out to all the class of geography.
+She said that Dago is just the disrespeckfull for Italian and she
+names Italians grand and wonderful with songs in their throats and
+pictures in their eyes and hands to make statyous. And Mr. Columbus
+who discovered America was a Dago! So Americans needn’t feel set up
+over us because where would they be this minute if he never had?
+Besides they are all named after Mr. Amerigo, another Italian man who
+put them first on any map or they must have got omitted out of the
+geography and then think how mortifide they would have felt!
+
+So Mother, it is not mean for me to be Dago and need not put shame on
+you as I always supposed it must indeed. It was my guess to myself
+you had hopes to erase all my Dago part in this school except my
+looks which are very brunetty and no powder can help that because
+I tried and it showed on top of my brownness like chalk on the
+blackboard and the Principal said “Giovanna, go wash your face; I did
+not believe you were that silly kind of girl.” So I cried and washed
+hard and threw away that powder box awful quick but explained not to
+the Principal because it would have been like telling a secret of
+yours and mine, Mother, to explain and I never did. Now you don’t
+need powder to stay on me any more.
+
+O Mother, my proudness is up to the top of the highest mountain
+in the red atlas! I wish I could go and tell all the folks in
+our tenement that they are no more Ginneys but very grand and
+respecktable Italians and must have no shame on themselves for that
+but all glad and hawty.
+
+I had thoughts of asking you to change my name to Jane but now I
+rejoyce to be
+
+                        Your Italian daughter,
+                                                        Giovanna.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_Mother of my Dago heart_,--
+
+There was a reception in this school today very grand from three
+to five. O the surprise that happened on me right in the middle of
+this reception! If I gave you 1,000,000 guesses and 3 more you could
+not tell who came and not invited, for how could I think to invite
+rellytives never seen in my long life and most forgotten and also
+believed by me to stay in Italy shaped like a rubber boot and washed
+by many seas?
+
+I was sitting some behind a screen and the music talked of you and
+my love as I never can write in my letters because it would take
+words I do not know. I wore my new pink silk which is that kind to
+try to stick to my fingers as if it says it likes to be my dress and
+the best beautiful sign of your love.
+
+Dolly came and pulled me by the hand to the window quick as we could
+go for the many ladies not to step our feet on their elegant trains.
+There stayed Luigi on his wagon full of oranges and bananas. An
+Italian woman sat by him not his wife for I know her looks and a girl
+about my bigness. Down in front of the seat was a boy not so big and
+another girl not so big as the boy and another girl with curls not so
+big as that girl and a baby in the Italian woman’s lap which she gave
+Luigi to hold while she clum out and pulled down all the rest except
+the boy who jumped himself off and stufft two bananas in his shirt
+not seen by Luigi. Then Luigi pointed with his whip to the door of
+our school and drove away very quick like he still had scares on that
+teacher.
+
+Wrinkeldy and poor was the Italian lady with a little square shawl
+on her head. The girl of my bigness was dressed pretty but curyous.
+Her black velvet corset was on top of her white waist. She wore a red
+skirt and an apron crost by many stripes. The toes of all the littler
+ones looked out of their shoes and no wraps on their thinness. I had
+a big sorry for them in my heart.
+
+Then Dolly was called by her Mother to play a piece on the piano for
+some person in the music room.
+
+Very soon that family off Luigi’s wagon stood in our hall and all
+stared at them like they were brickyards and not people. I had no
+dream who they could be, but Dago must ever go to Dago so I went.
+
+When I walked close to her of the wrinkeldy face and little shawl,
+she screecht “Giovanna! Mia cara! Mia cara!” and hugged me long long
+in her arms and many times kissed my cheeks and hugged me more and
+more and tears ran down in her wrinkles.
+
+I let her hug and kiss me, Mother, but I shook and shook and wished
+not to be so much kissed with all to stare and stare as they done.
+Nobody hugs like that in receptions which are not any good form place
+for jenuine feelings like hers but just touch your fingers and talk
+politeness. The feelings that Italian lady had on me were terrible
+and I could not understand what for with this the first time I ever
+walked in her sight.
+
+By and by she calmed off a teeny bit and held my face with her hands
+and looked and looked and said she was my Aunt Maddalena.
+
+I was embearest dreadful and sorry to make her such dizzypoint but I
+begged her please excuse me not to be her niece and her not to be my
+Aunt Maddalena.
+
+The girl of my bigness had eyes black and looks proud like anything.
+She spoke American but slow and funny and full of try as if her
+tongue could just walk and not run.
+
+“Why notta your Aunt?”
+
+I answered “It is the true that my Mama who died had a sister named
+Maddalena and she usto tell me how they cried and hugged much when my
+Mama started for America in the big ship, but this lady never can be
+my Aunt.”
+
+That girl asked again, “Why notta your Aunt?”
+
+I explained just like my Mama that died usto tell me plenty of times.
+“My Aunt Maddalena is so beautiful in looks that artiss men make
+her picture with many paints. Nobody in her village can dance the
+tarantella like my Aunt Maddalena; any person will travel a mile
+and be glad to see the steps of her teeny feet. She wrote a letter
+how she marrys my Uncle Nicolo who sings long songs and walks on the
+grapes to make them wine. By and by she wrote another letter that she
+has a baby girl, cousin to me named Concetta. Then no more letters or
+else lost. Now you understand why this Italian lady is all mistake
+and no Aunt.”
+
+That girl spoke again awful proud.
+
+“Little fool! Can she no getta old? When young she was moddle for
+artiss men and this dress I wear now is her moddle dress because my
+dress gotta the holes. Your Uncle Nicolo no come today, he hunts the
+work. You think that baby girl Concetta no getta big never? I am
+Concetta and this is your Aunt Maddalena.”
+
+Then I believed she spoke the true and I was more embearest like I
+would die with all my thinks tip side up and no chance to get them
+fixed. My voice came out of me little and funny.
+
+“I am very pleased to meet you.”
+
+“Notta so!” said Concetta awfuller proud. “You no wanta us! One year
+in America we look look ask ask for you. Now I wish we never hadda
+found you! You gotta the shame of us and I hate you!”
+
+I did not answer that Concetta but I led them to chairs which were
+very quick plenty when they walked near. It is the rule not to just
+have your own talk with your rellytives at a reception but you must
+make presents to them of your schoolmates. I did not mind that rule,
+Mother because of the feelings I had for the Exclusives to look on my
+cousins so wretcheddy and my Aunt Maddalena all poor and wrinkled up.
+I was trying to swallow down my cry when our dear Principal came and
+saylooted my rellytives fine and polite as if they were the best in
+elegant trains instead of short in the skirts and big in the shoes
+as my Aunt, only Concetta hid her hands under her apron crost by many
+stripes. What sort of manners was that?
+
+The boy begged me, “Swipe a feller some cake. Say, do you guys have
+ice cream?” I made the start to get him some but Concetta said,
+“Notta swipe--better he starve first,” so I sat still and swiped not.
+
+I wanted to make good from talk with my rellytives but it was skarce
+in me. Pretty soon Concetta said to her Mother in Italian that no
+longer must they put shame on Giovanna with her grand friends so they
+went and fine riddants to that Concetta.
+
+O Mother, what is the good to call Italians grand and wonderful and
+then all to stare at them like brickybacks when they stand in your
+hall? How can they have that glad the teacher says they may for the
+songs in their throats and the pictures in their eyes and their
+hands to make statyous when they got those scroochtdown Dago feelings
+on themselves (not counting Concetta) and you got the same on them to
+be their rellytives? My Italian proudness is all spoiled.
+
+                             Your unhappy
+                                                            Jane.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_Dearest and Best_,--
+
+I am writing to you in my cloak and my hat is still on my head
+because my feelings fizzed and fizzed all the way home from the call
+on my Italian rellytives and will not stay shut up in me one more
+minute.
+
+All days I felt as if there was a string on my soul and Aunt
+Maddalena was pulling it and I knew Dago must go to Dago. The
+Principal said a teacher might company me this afternoon which she so
+done.
+
+O Mother, rellytives are no good but to make grief and woe! I wish
+mine were back in Italy like a rubber boot washed by many seas,
+I do indeed. No, I would save out Aunt Maddalena because love is
+sprouting in my heart for her and how she does not look all homely
+as at first. And the baby with eyes like chockylet creams, it is a
+dear baby. Giuseppe is a newsy and newsys are ever desprit characters
+and usto pull my braids, but Giuseppe has not done it yet and he has
+a hello grin on him so you got to like him anyway and I do not wish
+away my cousin Giuseppe. Marietta next to Giuseppe is very good and
+quiet and pityful to be so thin and pale and nobody could wish her
+away. Assunta between Marietta and the baby has long black curls and
+dimples, and I ached to hug and hug her but I never could for the
+eyes of Concetta kept me all friz up on my bench so I sat still and
+hugged not.
+
+Aunt Maddalena would have embrased me the same as at the reception
+but Concetta had to put in her Italian talk “Have care, little
+Mother, for the fine clothes of our grand lady cousin.”
+
+All the time of this visit I felt as if my heart was a pincushion
+and every word of Cousin Concetta stuck another pin in that cushion
+for the hate she got against me. She asked me in her own talk why
+I brought that teacher to show her how poor they live. Was it not
+enought for me to know it myself and come where I was wanted by
+nobody?
+
+They are terrible poor, Mother, and live way upstairs in the
+back tennyment with no window to look on the street but just at
+clothes-lines and for furniture some big and little benches such as
+my Uncle could make with boards loose from the back fence if he got
+them first and not the neighbors to burn and a little old busted
+stove and a bed very ricketty and the plaster to fall off in many
+spots.
+
+They must take coats home to finish just for some cents each one.
+Aunt Maddalena sewed like crazy and Concetta the same hard and fierce
+and Marietta pale and pityful must sew and little Assunta pulled the
+bastings and minded the baby. She cried to go sit on the doorstep and
+Aunt Maddalena shook her, not for mad but because tears would drop on
+that coat of fine cloth and ruin them all.
+
+Uncle Nicolo is a man of ditches in America because we walk not on
+our grapes to make them wine, and when he cannot get ditches to dig
+he is out of work which is dreadful and all must finish more coats.
+He walked in at the door and I saw him for the first time ever. He
+bowed polite to the teacher and me and shook our hands. He did not
+laugh nor sing long songs nor take his piccolo out of his pocket as
+my Mama that died said he had those habbits but sat on a bench with
+his head to hang down in front and his hands to fall between his
+knees.
+
+The teacher spoke with him very friendly and he told her O if he had
+fifty $ to buy a fruitstand of an Italian man who must take his poor
+sick wife back to Italy to die in the arms of her old Mother, then
+the family could live fine and not finish the coats. After telling
+this Uncle Nicolo fell back into his sorry thinks and talked no more.
+
+Giuseppe was gone to sell his papers, the teacher could not speak all
+the time about nothing, Aunt Maddalena in English can only smile and
+smile, the little girls were too bashful and the baby too young and
+Uncle Nicolo too sad and Concetta too mean to talk so nobody did.
+
+By and by Aunt Maddalena begged me to tell of my Mama that died and
+all our family, but I have lost the habbit to speak Italian and was
+afraid to say it funny and full of mistakes for Cousin Concetta to
+laugh so I answered “Aunt I cannot.”
+
+Then Concetta went and made this lie, “Little Mother, our grand lady
+cousin has forgot she was ever poor like us. Do not make her the pain
+to remember.”
+
+O Mother, that was mean and mean and mean! I hated Concetta to say
+that lie of me, so I begged the teacher please let us go and we went.
+
+I will never go back to see them any more--I’m all finished up with
+them forever and forever world without hen!
+
+Goodbye Aunt Maddalena, dear Aunt no more ugly but good and sweet.
+Goodbye Giuseppe of the hello grin. Goodbye poor little Marietta so
+pityful. Goodbye Assunta with the Isabella looks and curls. Goodbye
+baby of the big eyes like chockylet creams. Goodbye Uncle Nicolo. I
+hope you get plenty of ditches to dig and can buy that fruit stand.
+I do indeed. Goodbye Cousin Concetta with your manners like snow to
+freeze me and your words like mustard to burn me.
+
+Mother darling, I feel some unfizzed and I just have time to put away
+my hat and coat before the supper bell.
+
+                                   Goodbye from
+                                                            Jane.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_Dear Mother_,
+
+Your letter hurt fierce and awful but I guess it’s what the Principal
+calls a merryted reebuke. You say you have no daughter Jane and want
+none of that name if my last letters are her kind to write. You
+tell the great dizzypoint you got in me to be so snubbish and your
+surprise that I can so quick forget the feelings I usto have in my
+soul when the Exclusives were hawty with me the same. O how you put
+big big Selfish on me to fuss all times at my own mortifide and not
+considder the mortifide of my rellytives at the reception to find
+themselves such differents. In the call also you feel Scorn for me
+as a horrid silly Prig not to talk Italian with my dear Aunt. And my
+Mama that died--how dreadful she must have felt to lean over in her
+Heavenly seat and see me act like that to her used-to-be-beautiful
+sister and I guess God has His oppinion of me too.
+
+The repentants I got on all the family is big as a house but it don’t
+reach to my Cousin Concetta--no ma’am it don’t! Her I must ever hate
+as she does me and she made its start when I never did. Last night I
+had trouble with my prayers all on account of her. This morning when
+I woke I felt as if I had caught meazles in my soul for my thinks of
+her.
+
+Yes, ma’am, I will go spend the whole Saturday to visit those
+rellytives I thought never to see again in my long life but Dago must
+go to Dago and that’s the true. Yes, ma’am, I will help finish the
+coats. Yes, Mother, to please you, I will love that Cousin of my
+bommynation just this Saturday, since you say that on Sunday I have
+your permission to hate her again if I can’t help it.
+
+This is your first time to scold me, Mother, and it felt like spanks
+on my soul, but O you put such love and forgiveness at the end and
+now to be all confessed and promised up, why I feel more daughterish
+than ever.
+
+                                   Your never-more Jane
+                                                  But always
+                                                        Giovanna.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_Mother of my happy love_,--
+
+On Saturday morning the Principal was to shop herself a new dress but
+she took me first to the house of my Aunt. They were terribly busy.
+This time the coats belonged to boys and all must sew sew like crazy
+to get finished that day for the rent. Poor little Marietta most
+fell off her bench with sleepy because all had sewed in the night.
+Giuseppe was gone to sell his papers and Uncle Nicolo to hunt his
+ditch to dig with little hope for ditches are scarce and many beg for
+shovels.
+
+I said “Concetta, today I love you, give me a coat to sew.” She tost
+her head and mocked me back. “Very kind the grand lady Giovanna to
+love her poor cousin and sew a coat, very very kind! I thank you.” I
+did not get any mad but I just thought how mad I would be tomorrow
+for her to speak that way. I took a coat to finish off the pile but
+I sewed clear through and the stitches showed and Concetta must
+stop and pull them out. She said awful cross “Thank you, fine lady
+Giovanna, for the splendid help which will put us back three coats to
+get over. Why don’t you stay with your grand friends and let us be?”
+
+I was much mortifide but not mad today or tomorrow because I had a
+big sorry on myself to put them back three coats by my fault.
+
+When it was dinner time Concetta said “We have only polenta because
+this is the day of the rent. I fear our grand Cousin will starve.”
+
+I answered “My Mama that died usto talk of polenta how good, so
+polenta is all right with me.” We had no tablecloth, just a big dish
+of polenta which is corn pudding made out of mutton. Giuseppe came
+and saylooted me with his hello grin but no words. O Mother, when
+I tasted that polenta I thought what will I do what will I do not
+to offend more Concetta because so fierce I did not like it that
+scarcely could my swallow act and besides there was not plenty for
+all. In that minute Giuseppe winkt his eye on my side and I slipt my
+share to him under the table which he ate with much joy and me the
+same that he should.
+
+Very quick was finished the polenta because it was not much and all
+must hurry hurry to finish more coats. I begged very humble to try
+again and Concetta let me most scornful but I finished one all right
+and felt proud but there was no time for proudness, just grab another
+and another. At first it was like play to try to get through quick as
+the rest which I could not for even Marietta would beat me by both
+sleeves. I liked to wonder what was the color of hair now growing on
+the boy whose Papa would buy him this coat but soon no more because
+I got a little ache in my back which spread and spread and my arms
+ached fierce and my feet got asleep and my neck full of cricks. The
+black color would come off on my hands to make them horrid and ugly.
+I was hungry like I would starve and all my bones were full of pains
+but I had shame to stop first, so it was grab another and another
+till it seemed as if I had to sew down a long long road with no end
+but just coats and coats until I died.
+
+O Mother, all at once I lost my Giovanna feelings and caught Concetta
+feelings instead. It was as if I was not me but her all poor and
+tired and ever sewing and hungry and sleepy and anksyus. I could see
+me, Giovanna, sitting there in the good clothes of your love clean
+and fed up and lazy and smarty and selfish and crittykle. O Mother, I
+hated me and not her so fierce that I cried to think how mean I was
+and all times putting it on her.
+
+Concetta got big astonish to see my cry, but said real sweet as I
+never knew she could “Notta more sew--you tired, no? You stop now.”
+
+Then I tried to explain and we all stopped and hugged and Concetta
+embraced me most of all and said I was not proud and hawty like she
+thought and for me to forgive and I hugged back most crazy with glad.
+
+Uncle Nicolo came in and Concetta begged him to play the piccolo so
+they might dance to sellybrate. It is a fine father who can always
+have music in his pocket that his children may dance. I told Uncle
+Nicolo how my Mama that died said the neighbors called him Mr.
+Piccolo instead and he laughed a little for the first time in America
+I guess by his looks.
+
+Isn’t it funny that my feet have not forgot the tarantella learned
+from my Mama that died while my head forgets many capitals of States
+in vacation? So Concetta and I were fine in love and danced it to
+each other like our Mothers usto, only Uncle Nicolo would have his
+sad thoughts again and forget to blow.
+
+The Principal stood in the door and Dolly with her because Dolly had
+met her in a store and wanted to come. They begged and begged and
+coaxed and coaxed until Aunt Maddalena took her little shoes out of a
+chest and nobody could dance the tarantella like her. She looked old
+but danced young just as when all would walk miles to see the steps
+of her teeny feet.
+
+O Mother, what do you think our dear Principal said--that her grand
+wonderful actress friend who visited us once at the school wants
+to learn the tarantella because she must dance it in a play named
+“Ibsen’s doll’s house” and nobody could teach her to do it like my
+Aunt Maddalena and the actress lady will pay Aunt Maddalena plenty of
+money to be taught. In that minute I got back my Italian proudness to
+think of that way-way-up-to-the-sky actress lady taking lessons off
+my Aunt.
+
+O and Uncle Nicolo can buy that fruit stand and he was so glad he
+sang a long song which the Principal named grand opera. All the time
+he sang Dolly was scribbling with her pencil on the cuffs of my white
+waist but not so anybody would notice her much and then she whispered
+to me “Don’t send my limmyricks to the laundry.”
+
+Next Uncle Nicolo played like he would break his cheeks and we all
+danced. Even the Principal made some whirls with Marietta.
+
+We parted in joy and now I am home back at the school and happy
+happy! And I have looked in Dolly’s closet but I can’t find any
+limmyricks not to send to the laundry. I know all her clothes and she
+never said she wore any or what color.
+
+Here is the poetry off my left cuff.
+
+   “There was an Aunt Maddalena
+    Whom Giovanna never had seena
+    She’s wrinkled and old
+    But her heart is fine gold
+    So her looks don’t count for a beana.”
+
+Here is her poetry on my right cuff.
+
+   “There was a proud Cousin Concetta
+    Whose eyes were black as the jetta
+    She seemed full of hate
+    But that’s all a mistake
+    She’s so darling we’re glad to have metta.”
+
+That’s the true just as if it wasn’t poetry, but all the rellytives
+in this big world dont = one precious darling Mother always first in
+the heart of
+
+                                                        Giovanna.
+
+
+
+
+                      GIOVANNA’S FIRST REMEMBERS
+
+
+_Angelickal Mother of my gloryous new times_,
+
+Such a hurry I got to put my first remembers in this letter because
+to-morrow we girls must fix them in compositions to oblige the Chair
+of Professor Sighkology who lectured to us in Assembly and I cannot
+make secrets with that Chair away from you who must ever be the Queen
+of all my deepmost thinks.
+
+A senior said Professor Sighkology’s smile was Heavenly, but Dolly
+answered it was so impursynal it fell down between the desks. I never
+noticed which way flew his smile for wondering what sort of magic
+Chair to read my writing and put red ink on top of my mistakes. I’d
+like to see it only to feel that Chair staring at me without eyes
+would be worse than the evil eye of the old shoeman--I’ll tell about
+him when I get to his spot in my letter.
+
+The girls are Odearing something dreadful about this composition
+(except Dolly who says hers will then be ready for her byography) but
+they don’t really mind--it’s just their Odear habit. Boosted up here
+as I am by your love and my orphan feelings not forgotten, I don’t
+see how they can fuss and fuss at nothing, I don’t indeed. But then
+a beggar of the street might peep in at the asylum window and hear
+the orphans Odear the same and say “What have those orphans all safe
+and fed got to Odear about?” and wonder at them just as I do at the
+Exclusives of this school.
+
+No other girl here could make news to her mother of her first
+remembers since they had them together which we never could the ones
+I got now, because if I had been your daughter from the beginning
+all these first remembers would have been diferents. Anyway no
+daughter could belong any fiercer than I do now, _could_ they Mother?
+My days are trimmed up and deckorated with my thinks of you. And when
+I tell you these remembers we will belong some more for you to know
+all that passed with me in my years before I sewed by your side at
+the College Settlement where we used to take our first start with
+each other.
+
+And even if we didn’t begin so early to belong, I hope we can finish
+up together and have our funerals the same afternoon. Sometimes I get
+scares in my bed to wonder if, you being older, God expects you to
+die first, but please live to be an aged lady and I won’t mind dying
+some young not to be left orphan again.
+
+How strange that Dolly and I were babies in the world at the same
+time and her with a nurse of white cap and apron to ride her in the
+Park and embroidery dresses and her rattle silver, so no angel could
+guess she would ever be chums with the brown tenement baby which
+grew up me. And you, Precious Mother, were in the world too and God
+had you waiting for me like a grand surprise hid way back on the top
+cubboard shelf.
+
+Dolly read a book out of the library so her composition is very
+intelleckchewel. She writes about her infantyle conceps but they were
+too much style for a Dago tenement kid so I am very sure I had none.
+
+O Mother, wouldn’t it be fun if we could remember way far backer than
+we can and not forget how it feels to be teeny in laps and pull hair
+and talk guggy guggy? But no--we must grow to some bigness before
+memory sprouts in us.
+
+Dolly’s earlyest reckylection is shook in church for badness to
+go sit on the pulpit steps and hug and kiss her new hat with the
+minister up there preaching how wicked is vanity. Can’t you just see
+her looking dear and cute and funny like anything?
+
+I will tell you my own very firstest remember I got. I never knew
+there was any me in this world until the day the saloon burned across
+our street. All stands in my head just like a picture only myself I
+cannot see though I feel I am in the middle of it and little to hold
+on that way to the back of the chair where my Papa lifted me up to
+look. He was an awful handsome man of big black mustash. I can see
+very plain my Mama that died and hear her prayers of scare that our
+house would not burn also. All the front of that picture is blazing
+fire close close till it seems as if I could reach it with my hands.
+I had not then my “dawn of conshus fear” but jumped and danced on the
+chair like a little crazy with joy of the big red and yellow flames.
+
+Dolly’s best scare was on a ghost which never skooted in at the
+window all white with eyes green and ringing its hands and moaning
+fierce to fly her off into the dark, but of nights she lay on her
+little bed expecting and expecting that ghost which the nurse said
+would come if she did not go quick to sleep, and she could not for
+scare of the ghost. It was all just a wicked lie of that nurse so she
+could run talk with her bow over the fence.
+
+  [Illustration: “I must hold my horny hand at my back for
+                  politeness”                            Page 110]
+
+My first afraid was on that old Dago shoeman. He pozest the evil eye
+and always plenty of work because the neighbors had scares of what
+would fall on them if another should mend their shoes. He sat close
+to the door in his little shop where I must pass on errands to the
+grocery. My Mama that died hung a charm about my neck to keep off
+his bad looks; also she showed me how to make horns with my hand but
+I must hold my horny hand at my back for politeness. With the charm
+and horns I felt safe when I was in the house just going to start,
+but soon as I heard his hammer tinky tinky I would go slow and slow
+grabbing my charm and making my horns and shake and shake and whisper
+little prayers and creep soft on my tippy toes till I was half past
+and then run like crazyness.
+
+Dolly says her scare was worse than mine because the old shoeman
+stayed in his shop and didn’t go flopping round into windows. I told
+her but he was really in the world and the ghost was not, and she
+answers that’s the eyedentickle reason for the ghost to be worst.
+
+I never dreamed that richness living upstairs and downstairs in its
+house could think of anything to want and not get it and there Dolly
+and I had the same wish which was a new baby in the family, girl for
+choice. Poorness got waited on up in Heaven and richness didn’t, so
+my going-to-be-chum Dolly had to stay an only like she was.
+
+I wish she could have had hers too. She needed it worse than me
+because I was not quite an only on account of Tony. I never noticed
+when he came. He was in our house not so big as I when I first
+thought about him. He was too big though to make a good baby and
+wouldn’t play it anyway. All the girls my size on the tenement
+doorstep had babies to tend, so it was no good form to be without and
+I must ever play old maid which is very stupid with no children to
+lick. It was only nice when the hand organ would come to our block
+because a baby is awful heavy to dance with for several tunes while
+an old maid can dance all tunes very free and glad.
+
+My best friend was named Katy. She was proud to be Irish and no Dago.
+Her father was a man of pollyticks who could shake hands with the
+alderman just whenever he pleased, and the alderman got him a job to
+sweep the dirt of the streets into a great big dustpan with a long
+handle. Katy was so haughty for that she would not be much friends
+with Dago kids but with me yes, because we had the other front
+tenement to look on the street and lived in good style with always
+something to pawn when there was not money enough for the rent. So
+she liked me at home but not at school--there she walked at recess
+with her arms around the Irish and not me. But after school she was
+my friend again and said the rest in our tenement were ginneys and
+could not sit on the top step along with us.
+
+One day when Katy got home from school she found a bran new baby in
+her house and she was stucker up than ever because it was a sister
+which is more stylish than brothers and it was blonde white with
+teeny gold curls like no other baby in that tenement. I was its old
+maid Aunt and must hold it most all the time while Katy was busy
+chasing kids off the top step.
+
+I loved Katy’s baby so fierce I had most forgotten to want one of
+my own when Isabella came in the night and the next morning I heard
+her cry in Mama’s bed and was crazy glad and ran to look but such a
+dizzypoint fell on me for her to be little and red and blackfuzzy and
+Katy’s baby so beautiful. O Mother, I write this with red shame on
+my cheeks to think of me so mean and wicked but I must tell you all
+even if it makes you have a black spot of dispizement for me in your
+soul _I tried to trade babies with Katy_! I offered her all my hair
+ribbons and my red beads and even my badeye charm but she said not on
+her sweet life for mine was the common Dago kind so if you dropped
+her on the steps you couldn’t tell again which one she was and so
+little I would be getting ten pounds more baby.
+
+God was good to me as I never deserved not to let her trade since
+her baby died and I would have been left without any little sister
+and serve me right for my evil heart. I saw that dear baby just the
+day before in Katy’s house and I thought it not to be sick as they
+said with its cheeks so pink, but the next tomorrow it was dead.
+The Chairs asks which is your beautifullest remember and that is
+mine--Katy’s baby lying on the table among its candles, its face all
+over clean at once and dressed in white embroidery like richness. It
+seemed as if it must wake up in surprise and reach for those teeny
+blue shoes such as it never dreamed on itself. The look on its face
+was just as though an angel was whispering creepymouse in its ear.
+I cried more than Katy which she said was no fair and I kissed many
+times its little hands like cold snow. They took it away with grand
+style and much weeps out loud and three carriages and a white hurse
+and a bouquet of genuine flowers bigger than it, a present from the
+alderman which must have cost plenty.
+
+Isabella had grown some bigger by that time and her curls had started
+only they were still black and not gold. When the funeral proceshun
+was gone, I went again upstairs and hugged her not to be dead and
+cold and whispered did she forgive her wicked sister to try to trade
+and she guggled “yes” and I cried some more into her apron for my
+little Irish niece deadngone to the semitary.
+
+Katy returned from her funeral very sad and hawty. I offered her
+Isabella to hold for comfort but she sobbed “no, thanks, her own or
+none” and she let everybody sit by her side on the top step. I saw by
+such politeness her heart to be broke intirely as she said it was.
+
+Katy’s family moved away pretty soon because the alderman fixed her
+Papa with a better job to drive a big sweep-the-streets machine of
+nights and they went to a grand Irish tenement with a bathtub and
+foldup bed in the parlor glorybe.
+
+I truly love this school, Mother, but not more than I loved the
+First-Grade in that time. It was fine to be the monitor to all
+the pencils in my row and the teacher’s petticoat rustled grand
+and silken down the aisle and her smile was hardly ever off her
+face--just when some boy was mean. My hand would most wave itself
+broke to say the words on the blackboard and I loved to sing
+
+   “Twenty froggys went to school
+    Down beside the Russhen pool.”
+
+I went home different ways to find that pool but none on our block
+was Russhen, just all Dago with men hitting little balls and no
+froggys to see.
+
+You must have been the Dolly kind of little girl, Mother and O
+so fine and wonderful! Please please write your youthfullest
+rememberants to me in your next precious letter. My Mama that died
+used to tell me about when she was a little girl in Italy. She would
+get glad to talk of Italy--how it is warm, fresh and light, the
+neighbors sing like the fountins; fig and olive trees grow thick
+there as the garbige cans of America. We would dance the tarantella
+very happy but pretty soon it would make worse her cough and then
+she would cry and say how cold, sad, dark and ugly is this country
+and all times like Good Friday. She was a very good kind of Mama and
+where she was that place seemed ever sweet and shiney unto me.
+
+The curious chair wants to know how we made our first start to feel
+grownup. Dolly says her shoes keep climbing higher and higher up her
+ankels and her skirts keep falling down lower and lower. When they
+meet she will be a young lady.
+
+I must have stayed kiddish forever to wait for that because my
+dresses not like Dolly’s would get shrinker and shrinker and my legs
+would grow longer and longer so my shoes and skirts must get more
+apart for boys at school to holler “broomsticks! broomsticks!” as I
+hated them to so holler.
+
+I guess my grownup feelings sprouted in me one tragicky winter full
+of woe when Papa’s fruit would freeze and freeze and lose him plenty
+of money and we got all pawned out and had to move back into an old
+behind tenement very dark and cold so I was glad Katy was gone not
+to see. The cough of my Mama that died got awful worse and no fire
+seemed to warm us with the little coal we had and Tony sat by the
+stove and wouldn’t play anything but lame boy and his knee was bad
+but he never said it was real--only his play. It was a good thing I
+was eight that birthday to do the work. My Papa fixed a box by the
+stove and a box by the cubboard so I could reach and also put our tub
+on to wash, only Isabella always tried to fall in that tub and be
+drounded. I had no time for doorsteps and anyway it was too cold.
+
+The walk-in districk nurse came every day to put a new bandige on
+Tony’s knee and fix Mama what comfy she could. One morning I put
+Mama and Tony’s breakfast on the box by the stove while I filled
+the teakettle and Tony never noticed and put his foot in it and I
+slapped him--my poor little lame brother with a bandige on his knee!
+O Mother, when he was awful sicker in the hospital I begged him to
+slap me back but he wouldn’t, so that slap I put on Tony must stay on
+me till I die.
+
+And I can’t have the delishus dinner I got now in a basket and take
+it to Mama and Tony to make them glad. When persons are in some other
+place perhaps you can get there to walk enough, but you cannot walk
+to them in a new time after theirs is all past and finished up.
+
+I know that winter was when I got the habit of growing up for the
+nurse to say as she did “you poor little old woman!”
+
+Then one day very sudden it was spring and warm by the sun and some
+grass trying to grow itself in a crack of the sidewalk and Tony went
+outdoors with his new crutch. That day the walk-in nurse helped me
+like a sick one into a pink dress terrible short with a big spot
+where Isabella spillt her mackyrony on me but the best I had. She
+led me to a beautiful house like no tenement because its rooms had
+not beds or stoves but pictures and prettys and many parlors which
+must be bigger and grander than the glorybe parlor of Katy. Some
+children were firing little pillows full of beans at a hole--so silly
+I thought and beans good to eat.
+
+Then the walk-in nurse opened a door and that was the door to all my
+joy. Many girls sewed in a club and one hollered very mean “I know
+her--that’s Giovanna Long-legs,” and all laughed. My wish was to cry
+and run home, but O the wonderfulest enchantingest lady which was you
+hugged me with your arm and put shame on those girls and asked me did
+I want to sew doll rags? I was embearest dreadful but answered “no,
+please I am too old.” Your smile was truly Heavenly as you gave me a
+dress to make for Isabella and put me close by your side. That was
+the day my love for you got planted in the ground of my heart.
+
+But, Mother, I could not have sat there and sewed so happy if I had
+known God was planning all those funerals for our family. And if
+any angel had whispered in your ear that day how the funny little
+new Dago kid of the long legs would get to be your ownest ownest
+daughter, I think you would have told that angel “Guess again and
+don’t be abzurd!”
+
+Now in this letter you got me from the start and I am for keeps and
+keeps and keeps
+
+                                                   Your Giovanna.
+
+
+
+
+                    GIOVANNA AS THE WRONG PRINCESS
+
+
+_Adorablest Mother_,
+
+My times in this school get better and better and now my tiptopest
+joy of all is that I am to act in a real play. The Principal divided
+us girls into program groops and my Dolly chum is writing O a gorjous
+drama just out of her own thinks for our groop to give next month.
+
+First Dolly read a book from the library how to make plays, but that
+book only gave her much discurage and her head to ache therefore
+she decided younity and atmosphear are too much style for a school
+play and not to have them in hers. So she writes it absolootly by
+inspuration same as poetry only worse for long and often which is
+terrible. That inspuration falls on her in the middle of nights and
+just in front of dessert and once when climbing the trapeeze so she
+lost her hold, but on the floor stayed her play notebook and when the
+gym teacher came running to see how bad she was hurt, there she lay
+to scribble, scribble like crazy and never knew her bumps until they
+turned their bumpy color. O Mother, how wonderful is genius!
+
+The Age of Dolly’s play is Middle because then all persons wore
+costumes instead of clothes and were romantic every minute. Dolly
+adores romance which it is her grief and woe to be now so scarce and
+most extinkt. The Principal likes that time because petticoats were
+good form for gentlemen, so the King girl can be real modish in a red
+kimono trimmed by bands of cotton decorated with ink blots, and the
+other mail characters will keep on their long cloaks so their gym
+suits won’t show.
+
+Dolly can’t dyvulge the plot yet because the characters are so
+opstreperus that whatever she writes them to do they fuss back at her
+to fix it all different. She says that’s because, being the children
+of her brains, they must take after her in temperment. But we girls
+coaxed and teased her most crazy till she consented to give us just
+an introduckshun no more to those desperit tempermental characters.
+
+Dolly will act the Right Princess as the playwrite must ever be
+leading lady or no fair, and I am the Wrong Princess which is the
+next best part for being her chum. The rest are the King, Queen,
+Noble, Prince of the Long Feather, Cruel Jailer, Wicked Witch, and
+four Hop-livelys who must be sometimes pezzents (which means not
+birds but the poor and humble obliged to dust with their aprons the
+chairs of nobility) sometimes kitchen sculpins and sometimes pop-up
+ghosts.
+
+Dolly says the Wrong Princess gets taken for the real kind at first
+but by and by she is expozed and found out to be nothing but a half
+orphan of the Wicked Witch. Already I love my part because to be
+any princess whatsoever will be magnificent like I never dreamed. I
+try hard with my manners, Mother, I do indeed, but they are not the
+teeniest bit enough good for even the wrong kind of princess. I must
+just watch them now like cats and mice not to put shame on you by the
+rudeness of my princess ways. But the half orphan piece of my part I
+guess I will understand to act as some girl of two parents might not.
+
+I knew a little girl in another dormitory of our asylum who was fairy
+once at a genuine theater and she told how in a play you are always
+fine and wonderful like makebelieve come true only she always wished
+it wouldn’t be over so dreadful quick.
+
+O Mother, I go upstairs and downstairs in all the rooms of this
+school so happy to think on my character in Dolly’s drama that
+scarcely can my feet walk and not skippity skippity as would be no
+proper princess manners. I love Dolly more than I ever did, which was
+lots already, to see her write in her play notebook those good grand
+words for me to speak. It is diffycult not to feel haughty when I
+think that a backward like me has genius for her chum.
+
+                                Your joyful-up-to-the-sky
+                                                  Wrong Princess.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_O Mother Dear and Only Comfort_,
+
+I most wish I was an old old lady dead in my peaceful grave so Dolly
+would get repentants on herself for her perfiddy and she calls
+perfiddy on me the same when I perfidded nothing and she all. Now we
+are no more chums and never can be in our long lives.
+
+Dolly had promised, when the play was finished up, to read it first
+to me like a secret, so last night after supper I ran with her very
+happy to our room, and O dear! O dear! how I wish that inspuration
+had never dropped on her. When she began to read we were the
+lovingest friends and when she stopped we were the hatingest enemies.
+
+The play makes its start with the King and Queen discovered on top
+of their thrones talking about their believed-to-be child, the Wrong
+Princess--how vile and evil is her dishpishum and how dark her
+looks--just like me. Her name is Zeerooty as any girl so wicked must
+have her name spelled with Z to hiss like the snakes in her black
+heart.
+
+The King says “Adzooks! cheer up, Mrs. Queen. This is the day the
+Noble Prince of the Long Feather comes to be her sooter. He will
+marry her away from us and good riddants to our Zeerooty.” The Queen
+has scares the Noble Prince won’t like the blackness and tempers of
+Zeerooty and says weddings in the dark are real stylish among her
+set, but the king only zooks some more.
+
+Dolly must read hard and fast to finish before the electric light
+would go off, so she never looked at me to know the feelings
+sprouting in my soul. I kept myself still and spoke not with hopes
+the King and Queen were some mistaken and me not to be so mean as
+their thinks.
+
+Then in the play a Hop-lively announces the Noble Prince of the Long
+Feather who enters the stage followed by the other three Hop-livelys.
+When all finish their politeness, that Zeerooty comes along tagged by
+Dolly dressed in her white silk with a big black patch basted on its
+front breath to show how poor and dispized she is because believed
+to be just the child of the Wicked Witch and given to Zeerooty for
+a sort of slave since the Witch has got everybody spelled so they
+don’t know that Zeerooty is her own black brat and Dolly the Right
+Princess.
+
+Zeerooty never notices the Prince and all those Hop-livelys though I
+don’t see how she can help it and not be blind. She saucys her Mama
+Queen and kicks her Papa King on his foot. Then she discovers the
+Prince and has much astonish for that. She likes him fine and her
+manners are quick honeytaffy. She puts out her hand for him to kiss
+like she is the sunflower of the world, but scarcely can the Prince
+kiss that hand for his looks of love on Dolly.
+
+Zeerooty perceeves those looks and goes back to acting like scandles.
+She throws her gloves, hat, and hanky on the floor for Dolly to pick
+them up and slaps her on the cheek.
+
+O that slap was the worst ever to go from me to Dolly in her drama!
+It is the true, Mother, I slapped Dolly my first day in this school
+because I spilled the gravy on her and she put the name goosey to you
+for thinking I could get made into a lady. But that is so long past
+and see how we have been chums ever since the girls took the tayboo
+off me and now for her to go put that slap in her play when I thought
+it all forgiven up--O Mother, it hurt so bad I couldn’t even speak
+that first minute like once when I caught my finger in the door.
+
+When Dolly read on, our electric study lamp went to bobbing itself
+round in funny ways and throwing out long strings of light into my
+eyes.
+
+In the second act, Dolly is discovered dusting and dusting those
+thrones and the Prince tells her how sweetysweet she is and that
+Zeerooty so bominable which is the true--I could put no blame on him
+for that. He wants to marry Dolly instead of me and her young heart
+beats for him alone. Then I, which is Zeerooty come on and catch
+them in their actions. I stamp and yell so fierce all the court rush
+there with scares of fire. Zeerooty demands to have the Noble Prince
+boiled in oil with chilly sauce, mean old thing that I am! The King
+answers boiling a guest would be inhospittable and no good form and
+make war with his parents but to our lowest dunjun let him go until
+he can love Zeerooty and he is halled off by the Cruel Jailor while
+Dolly weeps into her hanky.
+
+After that things are truly awfuller than they can be Dolly tries
+to rescew the Noble Prince and gets caught and dunjuned herself by
+the cruel Jailer, so it looks like all is over with the lovery pair.
+But the Cruel Jailer gets a tender spot in his tough breast and the
+Wicked Witch falls into her own kettle and then her spells don’t work
+and Zeerooty is found out to be the Wrong Princess and Dolly the
+Right One. Dolly is let to marry the Noble Prince of the Long Feather
+and Zeerooty is put out the castle gate scratching firce all the
+Hop-livelys who got the job to reject her and screeching swears of
+“Zounds! Zounds!” like the cat vickson she is to the last and no lady!
+
+When she finished reading, my used-to-be chum actually asked if my
+part wasn’t just grand? I felt as a volcano when it is volcanoizing.
+I told her my opinion of that despizable old black snubbish Zeerooty
+mean as mud. I asked her what sort of mad she had kept hid away in
+her heart all our months of being chums that she could make me such
+a part to slap Dollys in her play and saucy mothers and kick fathers
+and boil princes like a cannible heathen?
+
+Dolly just laughed and said Zeerooty was dandy and a real actress
+would know her for a splendid part.
+
+I answered I was awear that while I might be Dago black and lean
+like broomsticks and used to be a slapper when I came, I was one no
+more but had learned better in this school where my Mother put me
+for such manners not to stay on me any more as the manners of that
+Zeerooty whom I hated and detested and bominated like a poison weed
+and never would I play myself to be her!
+
+Then Dolly got mad at me like I already was at her, only she had no
+cause as she can ask her consceince and let it tell her what she did
+first to me--not counting that way-back slap.
+
+Dolly exclaimed that genius never gets its dews this side of the
+silentomb, so she don’t expect it, but to think I could take such an
+ignoranty pursonal view of Zeerooty. She asked if after she wrote
+special for me that almost starry part did I really refuse to be it?
+
+I answered “Yes, I refuse forever and ever and all the time after
+that to be Zeerooty.” Dolly said “This breaks the chain which binds
+us” and I spoke back that chain to be already busted when she read
+me about that mean slapping Zeerooty thing she wrote to put me into.
+
+Dolly answered she would never never speak to me again and I told her
+I would not to her in all my long life and we both cried on our beds.
+When we must get up to undress, Dolly took off the nugget bracelet I
+gave her Christmas and put it on my bureau and me the same on hers
+with the silver candlestick she gave me.
+
+So now I lost my chum all on account of that Zeerooty. I never
+expected to slap any girl again but I would Zeerooty if she were only
+in the world to receive my slap. And I won’t play her! I won’t! I
+won’t! I wont!
+
+                                        Your mad and Sorry
+                                                        Giovanna.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_Angel Mother All I Got_,
+
+It is now three days that Dolly and I don’t speak any more than
+frozen icicles and I most wish I was one to fall down and break
+into little pieces and be finished. My heart is so heavy, it’s like
+carrying the coal-hod at the asylum to get upstairs with it to my
+room. Dolly and I both got the proudness not to tell what our mad is
+about so the other girls guess much but know nothing.
+
+O Mother, if I had never been born, what troubles I would have
+missed, most of all this cold mad lonesome to be a deafndumb with
+Dolly studying on her side of our room a deafndumb also, and she my
+used-to-be-dearest next to you.
+
+If Dolly would only say she is sorry she wrote that Zeerooty on me I
+could forgive her in a minute, but she never will. And I don’t blame
+Dolly, Mother, as I do Zeerooty her own self. You know how Dolly told
+that those characters would fuss back at her and dicktate how they
+wanted to be fixed. Dolly is ever a quick forgiver and never would
+have thought to stick in that blow for all the girls to remember me
+as I was in my slapping days if Zeerooty has not hipnotized her to
+do it.
+
+But now she has chozen between me and that Zeerooty whom she loves
+like a mother her bad child to think all its meanness darling and
+cute. She cannot see me write in this letter “Dear Dolly, take me and
+not your old Zeerooty,” but I wouldn’t say it to her out loud, not
+for the big round world in my pocket. Goodbye my Dolly chum, I hope
+Zeerooty makes you happy you don’t look happy though, but sorry and
+frozeup same as me.
+
+I feel my cry is coming Mother, and I must get to bed quick and sqush
+it in the pillow for Dolly not to hear. I’m glad you are not a chum
+to bandon me for some old Zeerooty. Mothers are just the one thing in
+the world you can always keep unless God takes them up to Heaven.
+
+                   Goodnight truest and darlingist,
+                                                        Giovanna.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_Treasure Mother_,
+
+A real lady actress, friend to the Principal, came and performed like
+Lady Macbeth in Assembly this afternoon just for us girls. I was
+so blue I didn’t want to go but we all must. She was dressed very
+curious and talked for her husband Mr. Macbeth also just as I used
+to for my doll only she made her voice big instead of little. He
+wanted to be king as the witches proffyside but he had some feelings
+not to kill the nice gentle old really truly king come to visit him
+like an uncle and explained how murdering your company is not good
+form. I guess Lady Macbeth’s first name must begin with Z. O Mother,
+I shook till it squeeked the seat when she dared him and called him
+old fraidcat. Of course he didn’t have to mind her but a wife ought
+to keep her husband out of meanness all she can and not put him up to
+more like Lady Macbeth.
+
+I was sure that actress lady must be very bad by nature to look
+like that out of her eyes and dangerous, ever full of meanness to do
+somebody. I wondered how our dear Principal could stand her for a
+friend.
+
+When she came in the reception room after she had acted I did not
+know her in a tailor suit and smiling sweet, not a bit like that Lady
+Macbeth. I was standing close by the Principal and my astonish jumped
+right out of me to say how she looked not mean but a lovely lady. The
+Principal laughed and told how good that actress is to her little
+brothers and orphans and beggars and adored by all.
+
+O the Principal made me most die of mortifide to lead me to the
+actress lady and introdoose me by telling right out loud my thinks of
+her. But she was so Heavenly tackfull Mother, that by and by I could
+ask her the question sticking right out of my soul to be asked--how
+she could act herself into a mean one like Lady Macbeth whom she must
+ever hate and put on her looks and ways for all persons to detest
+and not love.
+
+When she was gone I ran quick upstairs with my heart no more like
+coal hods. There sat Dolly on her side writing like crazy in her
+play notebook. I never thought not to speak first and I cried out,
+“O Dolly, it is the duty of my face to be a picture of Zeerooty’s
+face and my voice to sound like hers and my actions to be same as her
+actions to show the audients what Zeerooty is like and not what I am
+like which does not count at such a time. What a silly I was--all
+ignoranty and pursynal like you said--so please forgive and I will
+play Zeerooty dandy as I can.”
+
+Dolly looked up awful sweet out of her writing and answered, “No,
+Giovanna, you had the right to hate Zeerooty because that actress
+explained it to be the smartness of Shakespeare for Lady Macbeth
+to have some good feelings mixed in with her badness and those
+repentants in her sleep and to be no monster. My Zeerooty was a
+fusser and a scowler and a screecher every minute which is to be a
+monster. I’m glad you hated her; she is now detestable to me the
+same, so here I sit writing some good feelings and repentants into
+her.”
+
+I asked “Shall Zeerooty walk in my sleep?” and she answered she would
+be no copycat to Shakespeare but ever origynal and make me into a nun
+at the last instead of a scratcher of Hop-livelys.
+
+Then I remembered what my real maddest mad was about, only it was
+so good to be speaking with my Dolly chum again I didn’t much care,
+but I just asked, “Dolly, would it be the same with you if Zeerooty
+should pull your hair instead of slap, for the girls to not remember
+my dreadful scandle of slapping you during my first dinner in this
+school?”
+
+O Mother, Dolly had forgotten all about that slap or she never would
+have put it in her play and she begged please forgive. We hugged and
+kissed like crazy and went down to dinner with our arms around as
+always. I am so happy I love even poor old naughty Zeerooty.
+
+                                  Your devoted daughter
+                                            The Wrong Princess.
+
+
+
+
+                       GIOVANNA’S COMMENCEMENT
+
+
+_O Mother Dear_,
+
+Such high sky cheer but feelings queer rezembling fear though love
+burns clear to know that we’re so close and near.
+
+Why I almost made a sonnut! I must be catching poetry off Dolly’s
+Muse. A Muse, Mother, is a ghosty person only not made of fog and
+clam like a real ghost but just of air. It hawnts round waiting to
+help you write poetry but you got to be a true genius first. No
+other girl in this school has a Muse except Dolly and I don’t mind
+it hawnting in our room because all it does is to keep the poetry
+stirred up in Dolly’s soul.
+
+This is not a real letter for the post office or for you to read
+ever, but just scribble in the back of my composition book which
+cannot be dissybedient now the term is over all but fun and exes.
+Dolly down in the studyroom crams and crams till she daresent talk
+for fear of losing something out of her mind. I am writing this
+sortof letter just to keep myself out of crazyness while I wait alone
+in my room the long, long, long hours before you come. My imaginer
+can see you in the cars this minute. You seem to be looking out of
+the window and I wonder if you got little thinks of your Giovanna
+waiting here. On the seat by your side is some big package of my
+surprise for which you did not wish me to meet you at the train,
+but please I don’t need that surprise--just you! you! you! Since
+receiving your letter, the big school clock has ever ticked “Mother’s
+coming! Mother’s coming!” till I wrote it all round the edge of my
+music book when I never knew I did.
+
+I want you to come so bad I can hardly live and yet--O Dearest, all
+the corners of my soul are full of scares. I stare in the mirror
+until Dolly tells I am getting vanity on myself, but it is my wonder,
+wonder what my looks and ways will be to you. I hope you do not
+forget how Dago black I am and have dizzypoint in me for that. And my
+manners--I have not worn them so long as the other girls--sometimes I
+lose them off when I am embearest or forget.
+
+Let’s count me up together, Mother, now before you come. I’m
+bigger--that’s by the grace of God as the preacher says. I wear the
+clothes of grandeur--that’s by the grace of your love. I am a teeny
+smarter in my head--that’s by the grace of my teachers.
+
+Spelling is still my ennemy. I don’t see why God made so many ways to
+spell words and then only put one way in the Dictionery which He must
+have written like the Bible and Encyclopedia since too big for any
+person to write in his long life.
+
+Fractions are mean too and I hate them! What is the good to divide
+units in all those stingey parts which the denommynator shows how
+many and the numerator what you give each person? Fractions is how
+they used to cut the pie at the asylum on Saturday. If it wasn’t
+for fractions there would be no poors in this world for everybody
+would have good and plenty of all things. O Darlingest, there is no
+numerator and denommynator between you and me; you are my entire
+Mother instead of 1-90 of a matron I used to have.
+
+And deffynitions are what Dolly calls my pon sassy norum which is
+Latin for the hardest ever. I could not remember moonshiner away from
+honeymoon till Dolly explained which one makes whisky on the still
+and which one is two going off alone after the wedding on a journey
+away from all encumbrants. They are still romantics and just hate to
+have anybody close except themselves, especially children big enough
+to be obzervant. Dolly learned that last outside of the book.
+
+I was sure, Mother, I had scribbled away this whole hour and when I
+saw it to be only half gone, I shook my little watch and then kissed
+it to forgive me.
+
+It is Commencement Week in this school and with me the same because
+I commence to live by your side. I wonder if I will ever acheeve
+the Senior kind to wear a graduated dress and make a grand bow
+(down, head, neck and chest; up chest, neck and head) to receive my
+dipploma tied with blue ribbon and you in the front row quite an
+old lady (though plenty young now) for all the grades and classes I
+must get promoted through. Dolly is a Freshy which is to be despized
+by Seniors, but anyway Freshies have class things like a yell, a
+color, and a spirit, while the grades have not and so are despized by
+Freshies the same.
+
+Mother, so near, so near.... O O I believe there comes the maid to
+call me downstairs....
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Sweet Mother dear did wait below, and I to talk with her did go, but
+acted like when I was young, they used to say “Cat’s got your tongue.”
+
+O Muse, go way and let me alone! Can’t you see I’m too miserable to
+fool with poetry? Go and hawnt Dolly down in the study-room; only
+you’ll find she’s dreadfully busy cramming math and she won’t bother
+with you either; she’s got real troubles same as me--not the fancy
+poetical kind!
+
+Please excuse me, Muse, to be so cross and rude, but it’s real
+aggervating of you when i’m just writing down my woe in this same old
+composition book and you change it into doggyrells which is all the
+kind you can unwind in me since I am no genius like my Dolly chum. I
+suppose it’s missing her makes you try to poetize me. Now be good
+and you may look over my shoulder though the Principal says for that
+not to be polite.
+
+I shook some as I opened the reception room door and there was
+Mother, grander and wonderfuller than even my remembers. She met me
+on the first oriental rug and hugged me in her arms and kissed my
+cheeks and I was Heavenly happy.
+
+But Odear! my orgins of speech wouldn’t act hardly at all. A teacher
+says we are full of orgins--not the music kind which would be nicer
+only I guess we wouldn’t stay in tune and then how bad we would
+sound up to God. Mother sat down and me too just like any other
+time to sit in a chair. O it was so funny and gloryous to have her
+close like that, it got me awful dazzled up and all I could talk was
+“Yes, Mother,” “No, Mother” like some silly doll when you pull its
+string. Why didn’t you come down stairs Muse, and hawnt some poetry
+into me--even that would have been better than “Yes, Mother,” “No,
+Mother” every minute.
+
+My orgin of thought worked right along but of course Mother couldn’t
+hear it. When she asked was I in a hurry for my surprise I said
+outside “No, Mother,” but my think spoke “Before you came, Dearest,
+my soul was boiling over with hurry like a teakettle but by your side
+I got no hurry in the big world.”
+
+Mother asked didn’t I wish I had a father and I answered “No, Mother”
+but my think exclaimed: “For the stupid I am, Mother Dear must
+take up any question she can, like some tackfull lady talking to a
+nidiot.” I felt so mortified I was almost some glad when she kissed
+me goodbye on the red rug in the hall. O all the night I dreamed and
+dreamed that first visit and the words we were going to speak, Mother
+to me and me to Mother! O dear! O dear! O dear!
+
+Come hawnt me, O Muse, if you want to, for Mother Sweet was just
+sitting in that chair by the table right in this room, mine and
+Dolly’s. It is evening but it seemed as if the sun shone in all the
+windows at once!
+
+Mother said “Here I am again, now don’t be so diffydent and sollum.”
+
+My thinks hollered that I wouldn’t but “No, Mother,” was all I could
+speak and there I was the same chumpy nidiot of the afternoon.
+
+Mother laughed. O Musie, her laugh rezembles Men--somebody’s “Spring
+Song” which Dolly ever plays on the piano for company, only Mother
+tinklies softer and more sweet.
+
+Then she wanted to see my “Girl’s School Memory Book” and I sat close
+on my stool of putting on shoes to explain all with gladness, since
+its writings and pasteings were done for her precious eyes. I got
+my tongue back from the cat and talked and talked and talked--now, O
+Muse, what do you think of that?
+
+When the book was finished, Mother meddytated to herself. By and by
+I put a little kiss to her hand and it fell on her rings, a diamond
+solitary and another unfancy, “Daughter,” she said, “I love those
+rings better than my fingers.” She meddytated some more while little
+watch on top of my heart ticked “Mother’s here! Mother’s here!”
+
+Pretty soon she sortof waked herself up and said, “Giovanna, when you
+have a Mother and no father, you are still half of an orphan.”
+
+I told her, “I don’t feel the least bit halffy, Mother, but so
+wrapped all round by your love there isn’t any chilly side to my
+soul!”
+
+She spoke how splendid for me to own a father like Dolly and the
+other girls.
+
+I answered: “No thank you, please, because a father would divide our
+loves and so bring fractions into our family, now a Heavenly unit of
+you and me.”
+
+I remembered her asking me in the reception room about wanting a
+father and now I understood it was not just for tackfull but for
+really truly. All my time as her daughter it has been her angelical
+wish for me nevermore to see other girls with any pretty and me not.
+
+I asked her, “If he is my father, mustn’t that make him your weddy
+husband?”
+
+“Yes,” answered Mother, and blushed as any really lady must all times
+do when talk is about their husbands and they have none.
+
+Then we meddytated some more and I thought how every man in the big
+world who sees Mother must wish he could have her for his weddy wife
+to sit forever by his side.
+
+O Muse, I was afraid not to be respeckfull if I talked more to Mother
+on that blushy subject, but she asked me for my thinks so I spoke
+them out.
+
+“Mother, he mightn’t suit you the leastest bit and perhaps you don’t
+care for husbands anyways so please don’t trouble yourself since you
+are to me plenty of parents.”
+
+The Principal says there isn’t any joy like selfsacryfice and that
+is the true, for Mother’s face was just angel shiney with happiness
+to think of providing me to a father which she got to stand his long
+life as an old weddy husband always round in her way.
+
+She just tinklied some more laugh and told me I could come tomorrow
+to her room at the hotel and receive my grand surprise. Then she went
+away. Goodnight, O Dolly’s Muse.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_Precious, Funny, Darling Mother_,
+
+It seems like the night of day after tomorrow but it isn’t it’s the
+same evening tied right on to the same day of the afternoon I went
+to receive my surprise. O I must write all down here quick, quick or
+I will believe it to be just some perhaps I made up with myself and
+it isn’t--it’s the true--the great big wonderful gloryous true! This
+time I got to write it like a letter to you, Mother, as I so long
+have the habit and not to any Muse of slim air. Anyway Musie is busy
+this evening wispering a class song into Dolly.
+
+In your room waited a big tall high bundle like no other in the whole
+world tied round and round with white paper and white ribbon.
+
+I cried out was it a statyou to stand in my room and you said a
+little like that.
+
+I asked was it a Pollo, god of handsome looks? You said better than a
+Pollo, and the bundle shook as if wind was blowing it. I pulled some
+paper off and there was cloth like a coat and I said I was glad for
+my statyou to not be cold and pitiful like the Pollo of the Museum
+seemed when I put my hand on him. That bundle shook more like mice
+running up and down inside the paper and I felt creepyfied but I
+pulled again and there was the real hand of a man.
+
+I shreeked it was a burglar and ran away to you and shook and shook
+but you laughed and said “Goosey, would I bring you a burglar for a
+present?”
+
+“O! O! O!” I screamed, “It’s my new father!” But I couldn’t pull any
+more paper off him for shakes, so he did himself and stood there, a
+big, grand, fine, dandy, shiverlrous gentleman! I said “Thank you,
+Mother for this nice father which is handsomer than Dolly’s or a
+Pollo but don’t make trouble to yourself just on account of me--does
+he suit you for a weddy husband?”
+
+How you both laughed and ran together and hugged and laughed like
+anything and explained you were already married and having your
+honeymoons!
+
+  [Illustration: “I pulled again and there was the real hand
+                  of a man”                              Page 156]
+
+O and then my happiness got an awful bumpy ripple when I had quick
+remembers of Dolly explaining how honeymooners are romantic solitarys
+with their worst hate on children old enough to be obzervant.
+
+I ran and looked out of the window and twinkled my eyes hard not to
+cry. I stared at a girl walking with a blue parrysol and I had awful
+jealous feelings to be just an old rag doll adoption out of an asylum
+and now not wanted by you any more. I had those feelings while that
+girl passed by seven lamp posts and then I saw what a mean, selfish,
+horrid, piggy thing I was, not to like you to be a romantic and have
+such happy looks on you as I never saw there before!
+
+Then you and Daddy hugged me on both sides and asked what was my
+sadness and I was ashamed but must tell with all those coaxes and
+you both said this wasn’t any Dolly deffynition kind of honeymoon
+but you two wanted it all trimmed up with children. For that we are
+going next week to a cottage by the same lake where the orphans stay
+in a big camp with the money out of the kind old gentleman’s hat at
+Christmas. And Daddy says in its turn of ten at once every orphan
+gets a ride in his gassylean launch on the lake.
+
+I can’t hardly believe yet that Isabella is to come for her vacation
+from the school where she was put by the will of her deadngone
+Bennyfactor and that Dolly is to visit for a month and my Italian
+cousins out of their tenement. Joy! joy! joy! joy!
+
+O! O! O! and Daddy Dear took a dockument out of his pocket about you
+and him adopting me leegully for all my life! That dockument is my
+dipploma to be graduated out of the orphan school; only I made no
+down-head, up-chest bow but plenty of hugs to you and Daddy Dear
+instead.
+
+O and he don’t bring fractions in our family and divide our loves
+as I was afraid! It was before he came we were fractionary but now
+complete. And my love for him is not cut off my love for you but is
+new by itself.
+
+This is my last blank page, but I don’t need any more because now I’m
+all finished up like a once-on-a-time story in my green fairy book to
+“live happy ever after” with my adored parents. Amen! Amen! Amen!
+
+                                                        Giovanna.
+
+
+                               THE END.
+
+
+TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE:
+
+Words and phrases in italics are surrounded by underscores, _like
+this_. Final stops missing at the end of sentences were added.
+Words may have multiple spelling variations or inconsistent
+hyphenation in the text. Misspelled words were not corrected.
+
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 79015 ***