Ethel Turner

“ My beloved parent, that wretch has got his eye on our dear, pretty little Allie. How would it be if you sent for her up to you? Nip it in the earliest bud, I say. I'll look after the housekeeping, and be a perfect cherub and seraph in my temper if you only will. Or, couldn't you write and forbid him the house? There isn't a man in the world good enough for our little Allie (though I did, half an hour ago, tell her I'd shoot myself if I had a temper like hers) . I haven't anything very particular against the heretic ”

“ And there was Jimmie playing marbles, quite alone. I am never, never never going to speak to him as long as I live. The heretic had given him half-a-crown not to tell where they had gone, and though I begged and implored him and tried to show him how serious it was, he just kept hitting his silly marbles and saying 'Mum's the word.'
"I hunted and hunted all over the place, but couldn't find Allie and the wretch anywhere. But I found father at last, and explained it all to him, but he just went on sorting his stupid beetles as if he didn't care a bit. ”

“ Sometimes, also, there was a dirty-looking envelope, with the address in an unmistakable schoolboy's hand. Sometimes there was an untidy one, in a schoolgirl's round characters, with various little postscripts outside, only remembered when the flap had been sealed. And sometimes there was a very little pink envelope, with a green bird flying merrily over the initial "B" at the back. The writing on this one looked as if some very little hand had been guided, and the stamp had the appearance of having been licked very freely and hammered on to preclude the possibility of it becoming ungummed. ”

“ I don't know how you manage to make things run so smoothly and get time for all you do.
"Bridget is very inclined to be impudent; I shall get father to speak to her. I told her yesterday (Monday) to make an apple pie, and she turned round and said, 'Shure, Miss Alice, the missus never has pastry on wash day—you might pop a rice pudding in the oven yersilf.' Of course I had forgotten it was wash day, but when she spoke like that I wouldn't go from what I had said.
"‘I expect an apple pie to be on the table by six o'clock,' I said, and walked majestically out of the kitchen. ”

“ We don't have very nice pudings now but I suppose old Al does her best. Such larks, old Briget went and cooked a lot of soap in the appel pie and Allie was as mad as she could be. There's a very nice man comes here now, Nessie calls him the herrytick but his real name is herryut. He's done my latin exercise every night this week, he's awfully fond of latin. You needn't go and think I tell old Peters stuffers like I used to and say I haven't had any help; old Peters never asks us now so it doesn't matter. Mr. herryut can do sums too, and he offen does Nessie's french for her. ”

“ Fathers are the blindest things alive. There's a man who has begun to come here lately—Mr. Heriot; and just because he seems deeply interested in dear old dad's boxes of beetles and other squirmies, and smokes with him, of course the dear, blind old fellow thinks the wretch has no other motive. He doesn't take me in, though. He doesn't make me believe that he jogs baby on his knee, and gives her chocolates and little dolls' tea-sets, just for love of her. He doesn't get me to believe that he 'was passing, and just dropped in to see if Jimmie's Latin wanted a bit of help.' Oh, no ”

“ I suppose Allie or Ness have told you all about it. I had to fite Tommy Brooks twice this week, he gives you awful cheek if you don't fite him and I can see out of my eye quite well again now so Allie needn't have made such a fuss. Tommy Brooks daren't say nothing to me now when I go by and he's stoped throwing stones at our fense so it's a good thing I did, he might have smashed one of your winders some day if I hadn't made him leave off. My pidgeon with the blue wing that you like layed two eggs, tell old Teddie I'll give him one of the young ones. ”

“ Heriot gave them to me. He has got a fat face and teeney little eyes, and his legs are dingle-dangly." (Added later in Allie's own writing: "The Chinaman doll, please, not Mr. Heriot, who has large, very nice eyes, and a thin, refined face, and carries himself like a soldier.") "I have got my pink dress on. And I haven't got it inked a bit. Teddie's letter was only in pencil, I can use ink. Good-bye, my dear mamma, I will be very good. Jimmie had a fight, he was not good. All his eye is spoiled. My eyes are not spoiled. I hope Teddie's eyes are not spoiled. ”

“ That he seemed to think just because father was interested in beetles and things he could take any advantage of him, and that he ought to remember that you didn't know him, even if you did know his father and mother. ”

“ Don't you beleeve old Al if she goes and tells you I have a dirty neck, every morning I wash it, you can't wash your neck twice a day when you've got to go to school and do homelessons and change your coat and everything. ”

“ I suppose you couldn't get me a young walaby, the shed in the padock would be a great place to keep it in and it would amuze baby very much
"I remain
"Your afecshunate son
"Jimmie Redmond Walters."
"My Dear Mamma" (said the little pink paper) ,—"I hope you are quite well. I am quite well, I hope Teddie is quite well. I hope Teddie can eat things again. I have not been naughty for a long time. I hope Teddie has not been naughty for a long time. We had apple pie for dinner on one day. There was soap in the apple pie we had for dinner. I have a new tea-set. ”

“ She insists upon doing everything that I do. When I do the flower vases, she does a flower vase, and invariably spills the water and scatters the petals on the carpet, and not infrequently breaks the vase. ”