Chapter XVII

A Letter from Davy

“It’s beginning to snow, girls,” said Phil, coming in one November

evening, “and there are the loveliest little stars and crosses all over

the garden walk. I never noticed before what exquisite things

snowflakes really are. One has time to notice things like that in the

simple life. Bless you all for permitting me to live it. It’s really

delightful to feel worried because butter has gone up five cents a

pound.”

“Has it?” demanded Stella, who kept the household accounts.

“It has—and here’s your butter. I’m getting quite expert at marketing.

It’s better fun than flirting,” concluded Phil gravely.

“Everything is going up scandalously,” sighed Stella.

“Never mind. Thank goodness air and salvation are still free,” said

Aunt Jamesina.

“And so is laughter,” added Anne. “There’s no tax on it yet and that is

well, because you’re all going to laugh presently. I’m going to read

you Davy’s letter. His spelling has improved immensely this past year,

though he is not strong on apostrophes, and he certainly possesses the

gift of writing an interesting letter. Listen and laugh, before we

settle down to the evening’s study-grind.”

“Dear Anne,” ran Davy’s letter, “I take my pen to tell you that we are

all pretty well and hope this will find you the same. It’s snowing some

today and Marilla says the old woman in the sky is shaking her feather

beds. Is the old woman in the sky God’s wife, Anne? I want to know.

“Mrs. Lynde has been real sick but she is better now. She fell down the

cellar stairs last week. When she fell she grabbed hold of the shelf

with all the milk pails and stewpans on it, and it gave way and went

down with her and made a splendid crash. Marilla thought it was an

earthquake at first.

“One of the stewpans was all dinged up and Mrs. Lynde straned her ribs.

The doctor came and gave her medicine to rub on her ribs but she didn’t

under stand him and took it all inside instead. The doctor said it was

a wonder it dident kill her but it dident and it cured her ribs and

Mrs. Lynde says doctors dont know much anyhow. But we couldent fix up

the stewpan. Marilla had to throw it out. Thanksgiving was last week.

There was no school and we had a great dinner. I et mince pie and rost

turkey and frut cake and donuts and cheese and jam and choklut cake.

Marilla said I’d die but I dident. Dora had earake after it, only it

wasent in her ears it was in her stummick. I dident have earake

anywhere.

“Our new teacher is a man. He does things for jokes. Last week he made

all us third-class boys write a composishun on what kind of a wife we’d

like to have and the girls on what kind of a husband. He laughed fit to

kill when he read them. This was mine. I thought youd like to see it.

“‘The kind of a wife I’d like to Have.

“‘She must have good manners and get my meals on time and do what I

tell her and always be very polite to me. She must be fifteen yers old.

She must be good to the poor and keep her house tidy and be good

tempered and go to church regularly. She must be very handsome and have

curly hair. If I get a wife that is just what I like Ill be an awful

good husband to her. I think a woman ought to be awful good to her

husband. Some poor women haven’t any husbands.

“‘THE END.’”

“I was at Mrs. Isaac Wrights funeral at White Sands last week. The

husband of the corpse felt real sorry. Mrs. Lynde says Mrs. Wrights

grandfather stole a sheep but Marilla says we mustent speak ill of the

dead. Why mustent we, Anne? I want to know. It’s pretty safe, ain’t it?

“Mrs. Lynde was awful mad the other day because I asked her if she was

alive in Noah’s time. I dident mean to hurt her feelings. I just wanted

to know. Was she, Anne?

“Mr. Harrison wanted to get rid of his dog. So he hunged him once but

he come to life and scooted for the barn while Mr. Harrison was digging

the grave, so he hunged him again and he stayed dead that time. Mr.

Harrison has a new man working for him. He’s awful okward. Mr. Harrison

says he is left handed in both his feet. Mr. Barry’s hired man is lazy.

Mrs. Barry says that but Mr. Barry says he aint lazy exactly only he

thinks it easier to pray for things than to work for them.

“Mrs. Harmon Andrews prize pig that she talked so much of died in a

fit. Mrs. Lynde says it was a judgment on her for pride. But I think it

was hard on the pig. Milty Boulter has been sick. The doctor gave him

medicine and it tasted horrid. I offered to take it for him for a

quarter but the Boulters are so mean. Milty says he’d rather take it

himself and save his money. I asked Mrs. Boulter how a person would go

about catching a man and she got awful mad and said she dident know,

shed never chased men.

“The A.V.I.S. is going to paint the hall again. They’re tired of having

it blue.

“The new minister was here to tea last night. He took three pieces of

pie. If I did that Mrs. Lynde would call me piggy. And he et fast and

took big bites and Marilla is always telling me not to do that. Why can

ministers do what boys can’t? I want to know.

“I haven’t any more news. Here are six kisses. xxxxxx. Dora sends one.

Heres hers. x.

“Your loving friend

DAVID KEITH”

“P.S. Anne, who was the devils father? I want to know.”