Anne of the Island Read online

  Chapter XVII

  A Letter from Davy

  "It's beginning to snow, girls," said Phil, coming in one Novemberevening, "and there are the loveliest little stars and crosses all overthe garden walk. I never noticed before what exquisite things snowflakesreally 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 tofeel 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 AuntJamesina.

  "And so is laughter," added Anne. "There's no tax on it yet and that iswell, because you're all going to laugh presently. I'm going to readyou Davy's letter. His spelling has improved immensely this past year,though he is not strong on apostrophes, and he certainly possessesthe gift of writing an interesting letter. Listen and laugh, before wesettle down to the evening's study-grind."

  "Dear Anne," ran Davy's letter, "I take my pen to tell you that we areall pretty well and hope this will find you the same. It's snowing sometoday and Marilla says the old woman in the sky is shaking her featherbeds. 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 thecellar stairs last week. When she fell she grabbed hold of the shelfwith all the milk pails and stewpans on it, and it gave way and wentdown with her and made a splendid crash. Marilla thought it was anearthquake 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'tunder stand him and took it all inside instead. The doctor said it wasa 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 thestewpan. Marilla had to throw it out. Thanksgiving was last week. Therewas no school and we had a great dinner. I et mince pie and rost turkeyand frut cake and donuts and cheese and jam and choklut cake. Marillasaid I'd die but I dident. Dora had earake after it, only it wasent inher 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 madeall us third-class boys write a composishun on what kind of a wife we'dlike to have and the girls on what kind of a husband. He laughed fit tokill 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 tellher and always be very polite to me. She must be fifteen yers old. Shemust be good to the poor and keep her house tidy and be good temperedand go to church regularly. She must be very handsome and have curlyhair. If I get a wife that is just what I like Ill be an awful goodhusband 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. Thehusband of the corpse felt real sorry. Mrs. Lynde says Mrs. Wrightsgrandfather stole a sheep but Marilla says we mustent speak ill of thedead. 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 wasalive in Noah's time. I dident mean to hurt her feelings. I just wantedto know. Was she, Anne?

  "Mr. Harrison wanted to get rid of his dog. So he hunged him once but hecome to life and scooted for the barn while Mr. Harrison was digging thegrave, so he hunged him again and he stayed dead that time. Mr. Harrisonhas a new man working for him. He's awful okward. Mr. Harrison says heis 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 thinksit 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 itwas hard on the pig. Milty Boulter has been sick. The doctor gavehim medicine and it tasted horrid. I offered to take it for him for aquarter but the Boulters are so mean. Milty says he'd rather take ithimself and save his money. I asked Mrs. Boulter how a person would goabout 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 havingit blue.

  "The new minister was here to tea last night. He took three pieces ofpie. If I did that Mrs. Lynde would call me piggy. And he et fast andtook big bites and Marilla is always telling me not to do that. Why canministers 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."