Sowing Seeds in Danny | Page 6

snow is
melted, I'll go at him. Don't cry now Danny, man, yer going' up to the
big house where the lovely pink lady lives that has the chocaklut drops
on her stand and chunks of cake on the table wid nuts in them as big as
marbles. There now," continued Pearlie, putting the towel over her
finger and penetrating Danny's ear, "she'll not say she can plant seeds in
you. Yer ears are as clean as hers," and Pearlie stood back and took a
critical view of Danny's ears front and back.

"Chockaluts?" asked Danny to be sure that he hadn't been mistaken.
"Yes," went on Pearlie to keep him still while she fixed his shock of red
hair into stubborn little curls, and she told again with ever growing
enthusiasm the story of the pink lady, and the wonderful things she had
in the box tied up with store string.
At last Danny was completed and stood on a chair for inspection. But
here a digression from the main issue occurred, for Bugsey had grown
tired of his temporary confinement and complained that Patsey had not
contributed one thing to Danny's wardrobe while he had had to give up
both his stockings and his pants.
Pearlie stopped in the work of combing her own hair to see what could
be done.
"Patsey, where's your gum?" she asked. "Git it for me this minute," and
Patsey went to the "fallen leaf" of the table and found it on the inside
where he had put it for safe keeping.
"Now you give that to Bugsey," she said, "and that'll make it kind o'
even though it does look as if you wuz gettin' off pretty light."
Pearlie struggled with her hair to make it lie down and "act dacint," but
the image that looked back at her from the cracked glass was not
encouraging, even after making allowance for the crack, but she
comforted herself by saying, "Sure it's Danny she wants to see, and she
won't be lookin' much at me anyway."
Then the question arose, and for a while looked serious --What was
Danny to wear on his head? Danny had no cap, nor ever had one. There
was one little red toque in the house that Patsey wore, but by an
unfortunate accident, it had that very morning fallen into the milk pail
and was now drying on the oven door. For a while it seemed as if the
visit would have to be postponed until it dried, when Mary had an
inspiration.
"Wrap yer cloud around his head and say you wuz feart of the earache,

the day is so cold."
This was done and a blanket off one of the beds was pressed into
service as an outer wrap for Danny. He was in such very bad humour at
being wrapped up so tight that Pearlie had to set him down on the bed
again to get a fresh grip on him.
"It's just as well I have no mitts," she said as she lifted her heavy
burden. "I couldn't howld him at all if I was bothered with mitts. Open
the dure, Patsey, and mind you shut it tight again. Keep up the fire,
Mary. Bugsey, lie still and chew your gum, and don't fight any of yez."
When Pearlie and her heavy burden arrived at Mrs. Francis's back door
they were admitted by the dark-haired Camilla, who set a rocking-chair
beside the kitchen stove for Pearlie to sit in while she unrolled Danny,
and when Danny in his rather remarkable costume stood up on Pearlie's
knee, Camilla laughed so good humouredly that Danny felt the
necessity of showing her all his accomplishments and so made the face
that Patsey had taught him by drawing down his eyes, and putting his
fingers in his mouth. Danny thought she liked it very much, for she
went hurriedly into the pantry and brought back a cookie for him.
The savoury smell of fried salmon, for it was near lunch time, increased
Danny's interest in his surroundings, and his eyes were big with wonder
when Mrs. Francis herself came in.
"And is this little Daniel!" she cried rapturously. "So sweet; so innocent;
so pure! Did Big Sister carry him all the way? Kind Big Sister. Does oo
love Big Sister?"
"Nope," Danny spoke up quickly, "just like chockaluts."
"How sweet of him, isn't it, really?" she said, "with the world all before
him, the great untried future lying vast and prophetic waiting for his
baby feet to enter. Well has Dr. Parker said; 'A little child is a bundle of
possibilities and responsibilities.'"
"If ye please, ma'am," Pearlie said timidly, not wishing to contradict the

lady, but still anxious to set her right, "it was just this blanket I had