The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-11-08
one passes Up or down the road

one passes up down the road.
Suddenly comes the grating sound Of something
dragged over the floor, and the door opens. The
Child pushes out with a little wooden rocking chair
great tin pan heaped with unshelled peas. Her
blue checkered apron is tied the waistband around
her neck-it IS a grown woman's apron. and covers
the chair, which IS far too small for her now
But one cannot be always years old. and when one
one rellnquish without pang the birthday
gifts Of ones childhood2
She lays the pan beside her and puts a handful Of
peas into her blue checkered lap. She presses her
brown little thumb against the sharp green edge and
drags It down the pod. Out ratter the little green
balls and rattle into the pan. Truly, pleasant
sound, Like the rain the roof. When she
very little and slept with her mother, she woke once
in the night and it was raining hard. The thunder
frightened her. and her mother comforted her and
sang her to sleep IN the bed ana When the ighlnins
flashed and all the room was bright and dreaoIul her
mother told her keep her eyes shut and then the
flashes would not trouble her. SO she screwed her
eyes hard together and held her mothers hand ana
That was so long ago! But whenever anything
sees for a moment the dark room and the square
MARY of Argyle" She wonders if when die and
go heaven reminded by little sights and
sounds OF what we used to do on earth or course,
might remind ms Of the ieassnt filings beretbe pas
ture I'm the early morning. when il is still and cool
hav musical with pigeons checkered with amber
sunlight fairy palace, whose fragrant divans
sits with sultans and slave girls and listens TO
sinbad ana Aladdin. the shady porch, where cool
white milk and dark shiny gingerbread wait the
weary berry-stained wanderer. In the brown book
in the parlor poem about little girl who used to
'take her little porringer and her supper there"
The Child feels like that little girl when she eats in
There is another little girl in the brown book
sweet Lucy Gray She thinks OF Lucy when she
comes home alone at dusk. and uuickens her steps.
How frightened she would be, Not that the Child
has been fooshly taught to fear. only that she is
imaginative. and knows enough to be afraid.
IF she could have one wish in all her life she knows
what 10 would be. A beautiful gold watch all chased
with figures and cherry-colored ribbon tied INTO the
handle Then she would put it into her waist-but
her dresses open in the back The Disadvantages of
youth obvious enough. in all conscience. without
that last pathetic touch. When can she have sep
suppose she should before she grows old enough
10 attain this glory? People have died when they
yOung-much younger than she The little
", ,5 r 5 o'j it emo 5 i,b b oS ttr sI e e,a5
into the kitchen and listened at the door When she
told her mother that she had gone her mother looked
why did YOU want to go?7 she said. The Child
1T made me cry" ,she answered, but felt good.
too. I want her to ten brother that I pretty
wcl and that hope ne is The same, when she gets
20 heaven. DO suppose she viii get there by to-
they talked about her conduct on that occasion so
strangely and so long that she never spoke any more
with them about death or the life after it, But she
She wondered whether Mary waters remembered
the secret place they made together in hollow gate
post. Mary Waters had way of sometimes telling
now? or had she told enough lies her TO hef2
For liars inherit hell 1t is that this fact has been
impressed upon her by others, but she has read
St I'm the Bible and heard it read.
manded TO refrain from doing many things that
one never would do anyway But those things must
mean that the Americans must Keen the same laws
But Americans were free and equal They threw
over the tea. and with "a wild whoop-waiE Let
This is Boston. It is sm quiet Night is dark all
around Soft and stealthy come fOOtsteps-the In
, dians, They gather from the shadows Of trees
and houses they wave their tomahawks exuItanty
they glide to the wharf. In their path stands little
girl i'm blue checkered apron. She falls upon her
. knees i'm terror.
save me- she cries. The chief laughs a horrid
laugh; he raises his tomahawk-the dog barks and
the child nearly drops the peas on her lap so fright
It thought they were real thought they were
coming" she whispers to herself
Let think of pleasant things! Peas are so small
whenever they gobbed peas quickly that every one
no they eat them without a Thought of how She sat
in the little tight chair ratified the pan.
the peas and the farm and go to q city? What city?
oh. New York. or Boston. or Persia. In Persia the
DAYS are fun Of richness and the nights are arabian
e. -5t+er tbst 20 he 1,,,n5 t,i- ,eiis - - - Iii
blue cotton that wreathes her mothers haJ2 BY all
white kinds followed bv turbaned slaves and SIaring
eunuchs with misty genii lowering in the background.
They enter frowning portal-but let Pretend
This is Persia. The streets are narrow the people
Joste and crowd TO side little girl i'm blue
noticed Watt who is this? It is a slave In a tur-
ban with scimi;ar flashing with jewels. He bows
7 hidden to tell YOU that your presence is de-
maiden looks haughtily him.
II viii follow you. slave she SAYS. They go on to
a low. narrow door. The slave says a magic word
and the door swings open. Through n long passage
and great hall they There bursts upon them a
radiance OF light. Flowers I'm the air with an un-
earthly fragrance Golden goblets and ruby pitchers
stand silver saivers with dried fruit cakes and
sweCtWeats. which give appetite for drinking
lovely slave girls lead the maiden Co the bath and
attire her IN rich and costly robes. They seat her
golden chair and give her "A bowl of seed pearls to
string Crhese the pearIsD She lifts her lovely
head and I'm voice of silver music. Where is
your master2"
Lady says one OF the slaves, bowling low he
comes She hears the feet of the approach prince.
She dares raise her eyes. How viii ne look?
what gift viii he bring2 She sinks her hands deep
in the pearls An what is that? A great sweet
bOuEh drops in the pam
Your gran'ma wants them peasi" says the prince
r. genial rebuke. Alas. And did Haroun- l-Raschid
speak through his nose?
The Child stares at him. dazed.
"These-these pearlsi' she says. 81 string
ins them for my giTdle Does your highness desire
f that 7 should war this-this carbuncler"
His highuess laughs loud and long.
cts sweet b0ugh," he ChuCkles. "and 7 guess
you better aat 10 right up, VOW" one moment of
waverinE; shall awful wrath come Upon this desc