章节正文
Also of her mother Mrs. Aurelia Randall
In case of Death the best of these Thoughts
May be printed in my Remerniscences
For the Sunday School Library at Temperance, Maine
Which needs more books fearfully
And I hereby
Will and Testament them to Mr. Adam Ladd
Who bought 300 cakes of soap from me
And thus secured a premium
A Greatly Needed Banquet Lamp
For my friends the Simpsons.
He is the only one that incourages
My writing Remerniscences and
My teacher Miss Dearborn will
Have much valuable Poetry and Thoughts
To give him unless carelessly destroyed.
The pictures are by the same hand that
Wrote the Thoughts.
IT IS NOT NOW DECIDED WHETHER REBECCA ROWENA RANDALL WILL BE A
PAINTER OR AN AUTHOR, BUT AFTER HER DEATH IT WILL BE KNOWN WHICH
SHE HAS BEEN, IF ANY.
FINIS
From the title page, with its wealth of detail, and its
unnecessary and irrelevant information, the book ripples on like
a brook, and to the weary reader of problem novels it may have
something of the brook's refreshing quality.
OUR DIARIES May, 187--
All the girls are keeping a diary because Miss Dearborn was very
much ashamed when the school trustees told her that most of the
girls' and all of the boys' compositions were disgraceful, and
must be improved upon next term. She asked the boys to write
letters to her once a week instead of keeping a diary, which they
thought was girlish like playing with dolls. The boys thought it
was dreadful to have to write letters every seven days, but she
told them it was not half as bad for them as it was for her who
had to read them.
To make my diary a little different I am going to call it a
THOUGHT Book (written just like that, with capitals). I have
thoughts that I never can use unless I write them down, for Aunt
Miranda always says, Keep your thoughts to yourself. Aunt Jane
lets me tell her some, but does not like my queer ones and my
true thoughts are mostly queer. Emma Jane does not mind hearing
them now and then, and that is my only chance.
If Miss Dearborn does not like the name Thought Book I will call
it Remerniscences (written just like that with a capital R).
Remerniscences are things you remember about yourself and write
down in case you should die. Aunt Jane doesn't like to read any
other kind of books but just lives of interesting dead people and
she says that is what Longfellow (who was born in the state of
Maine and we should be very proud of it and try to write like
him) meant in his poem:
"Lives of great men all remind us
We should make our lives sublime,
And departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time."
I know what this means because when Emma Jane and I went to the
beach with Uncle Jerry Cobb we ran along the wet sand and looked
at the shapes our boots made, just as if they were stamped in
wax. Emma Jane turns in her left foot (splayfoot the boys call
it, which is not polite) and Seth Strout had just patched one of
my shoes and it all came out in the sand pictures. When I learned
The Psalm of Life for Friday afternoon speaking I thought I
shouldn't like to leave a patched footprint, nor have Emma Jane's
look crooked on the sands of time, and right away I thought Oh!
What a splendid thought for my Thought Book when Aunt Jane buys
me a fifteen-cent one over to Watson's store.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
REMERNISCENCES
June, 187--
I told Aunt Jane I was going to begin my Remerniscences, and she
says I am full young, but I reminded her that Candace Milliken's
sister died when she was ten, leaving no footprints whatever, and
if I should die suddenly who would write down my Remerniscences?
Aunt Miranda says the sun and moon would rise and set just the
same, and it was no matter if they didn't get written down, and
to go up attic and find her piece-bag; but I said it would, as
there was only one of everybody in the world, and nobody else
could do their remerniscensing for them. If I should die tonight
I know now who would describe me right. Miss Dearborn would say
one thing and brother John another. Emma Jane would try to do me
justice, but has no words; and I am glad Aunt Miranda never takes
the pen in hand.
My dictionary is so small it has not many genteel words in it,
and I cannot find how to spell Remerniscences, but I remember
from the cover of Aunt Jane's book that there was an "s" and a
"c" close together in the middle of it, which I thought foolish
and not needful.
All the girls like their dairies very much, but Minnie Smellie
got Alice Robinson's where she had hid it under the school wood
pile and read it all through. She said it was no worse than
reading anybody's composition, but we told her it was just like
peeking through a keyhole, or listening at a window, or opening a
bureau drawer. She said she didn't look at it that way, and I
told her that unless her eyes got unscealed she would never leave
any kind of a sublimefootprint on the sands of time. I told her
a diary was very sacred as you generally poured your deepest
feelings into it expecting nobody to look at it but yourself and
your indulgent heavenly Father who seeeth all things.
Of course it would not hurt Persis Watson to show her diary
because she has not a sacred plan and this is the way it goes,
for she reads it out loud to us:
"Arose at six this morning--(you always arise in a diary but you
say get up when you talk about it). Ate breakfast at half past
six. Had soda biscuits, coffee, fish hash and doughnuts. Wiped
the dishes, fed the hens and made my bed before school. Had a
good arithmetic lesson, but went down two in spelling. At half
past four played hide and coop in the Sawyer pasture. Fed hens
and went to bed at eight."
She says she can't put in what doesn't happen, but as I don't
think her diary is interesting she will ask her mother to have
meat hash instead of fish, with pie when the doughnuts give out,
and she will feed the hens before breakfast to make a change. We
are all going now to try and make something happen every single
day so the diaries won't be so dull and the footprints so common.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
AN UNCOMMON THOUGHT
July 187--
We dug up our rosecakes today, and that gave me a good
Remerniscence. The way you make rose cakes is, you take the
leaves of full blown roses and mix them with a little cinnamon
and as much brown sugar as they will give you, which is never
half enough except Persis Watson, whose affectionate parents let
her go to the barrel in their store. Then you do up little bits
like sedlitz powders, first in soft paper and then in brown, and
bury them in the ground and let them stay as long as you possibly
can hold out; then dig them up and eat them. Emma Jane and I
stick up little signs over the holes in the ground with the date
we buried them and when they'll be done enough to dig up, but we
can never wait. When Aunt Jane saw us she said it was the first
thing for children to learn,--not to be impatient,--so when I
went to the barn chamber I made a poem.
IMPATIENCE
We dug our rose cakes up oh! all too soon.
Twas in the orchard just at noon.
Twas in a bright July forenoon.
Twas in the sunny afternoon.
Twas underneath the harvest moon.
It was not that way at all; it was a foggy morning before school,
and I should think poets could never possibly get to heaven, for
it is so hard to stick to the truth when you are writingpoetry.
Emma Jane thinks it is nobody's business when we dug the
rosecakes up. I like the line about the harvest moon best, but it
would give a wrong idea of our lives and characters to the people
that read my Thoughts, for they would think we were up late
nights, so I have fixed it like this:
IMPATIENCE
We dug our rose cakes up oh! all too soon,
We thought their sweetness would be such a boon.
We ne'er suspicioned they would not be done
After three days of autumn wind and sun.
Why did we from the earth our treasures draw?
Twas not for fear that rat or mole might naw,
An aged aunt doth say impatience was the reason,
She says that youth is ever out of season.
That is just as Aunt Jane said it, and it gave me the thought for
the poem which is rather uncommon.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
A DREADFUL QUESTION
September, 187--
WHICH HAS BEEN THE MOST BENEFERCENT INFLUENCE ON CHARACTER--
PUNISHMENT OR REWARD?
This truly dreadful question was given us by Dr. Moses when he
visited school today. He is a School Committee; not a whole one
but I do not know the singular number of him. He told us we could
ask our families what they thought, though he would rather we
wouldn't, but we must write our own words and he would hear them
next week.
After he went out and shut the door the scholars were all plunged
in gloom and you could have heard a pin drop. Alice Robinson
cried and borrowed my handkerchief, and the boys looked as if the
schoolhouse had been struck by lightning. The worst of all was
poor Miss Dearborn, who will lose her place if she does not make
us better scholars soon, for Dr. Moses has a daughter all ready
to put right in to the school and she can board at home and save
all her wages. Libby Moses is her name.
Miss Dearborn stared out the window, and her mouth and chin shook
like Alice Robinson's, for she knew, ah! all to well, what the
coming week would bring forth.
Then I raised my hand for permission to speak, and stood up and
said: "Miss Dearborn, don't you mind! Just explain to us what
benefercent' means and we'll write something real interesting;
for all of us know what punishment is, and have seen others get
rewards, and it is not so bad a subject as some." And Dick Carter
whispered, "GOOD ON YOUR HEAD, REBECCA!" which mean he was sorry
for her too, and would try his best, but has no words.
Then teacher smiled and said benefercent meant good or healthy
for anybody, and would all rise who thought punishment made the
best scholars and men and women; and everybody sat stock still.
And then she asked all to stand who believed that rewards
produced the finest results, and there was a mighty sound like
unto the rushing of waters, but really was our feet scraping the
floor, and the scholars stood up, and it looked like an army,
though it was only nineteen, because of the strong belief that
was in them. Then Miss Dearborn laughed and said she was thankful
for every whipping she had when she was a child, and Living
Perkins said perhaps we hadn't got to the thankful age, or
perhaps her father hadn't used a strap, and she said oh! no, it
was her mother with the open hand; and Dick Carter said he
wouldn't call that punishment, and Sam Simpson said so too.
I am going to write about the subject in my Thought Book first,
and when I make it into a composition, I can leave out anything
In case of Death the best of these Thoughts
May be printed in my Remerniscences
For the Sunday School Library at Temperance, Maine
Which needs more books fearfully
And I hereby
Will and Testament them to Mr. Adam Ladd
Who bought 300 cakes of soap from me
And thus secured a premium
A Greatly Needed Banquet Lamp
For my friends the Simpsons.
He is the only one that incourages
My writing Remerniscences and
My teacher Miss Dearborn will
Have much valuable Poetry and Thoughts
To give him unless carelessly destroyed.
The pictures are by the same hand that
Wrote the Thoughts.
IT IS NOT NOW DECIDED WHETHER REBECCA ROWENA RANDALL WILL BE A
PAINTER OR AN AUTHOR, BUT AFTER HER DEATH IT WILL BE KNOWN WHICH
SHE HAS BEEN, IF ANY.
FINIS
From the title page, with its wealth of detail, and its
unnecessary and irrelevant information, the book ripples on like
a brook, and to the weary reader of problem novels it may have
something of the brook's refreshing quality.
OUR DIARIES May, 187--
All the girls are keeping a diary because Miss Dearborn was very
much ashamed when the school trustees told her that most of the
girls' and all of the boys' compositions were disgraceful, and
must be improved upon next term. She asked the boys to write
letters to her once a week instead of keeping a diary, which they
thought was girlish like playing with dolls. The boys thought it
was dreadful to have to write letters every seven days, but she
told them it was not half as bad for them as it was for her who
had to read them.
To make my diary a little different I am going to call it a
THOUGHT Book (written just like that, with capitals). I have
thoughts that I never can use unless I write them down, for Aunt
Miranda always says, Keep your thoughts to yourself. Aunt Jane
lets me tell her some, but does not like my queer ones and my
true thoughts are mostly queer. Emma Jane does not mind hearing
them now and then, and that is my only chance.
If Miss Dearborn does not like the name Thought Book I will call
it Remerniscences (written just like that with a capital R).
Remerniscences are things you remember about yourself and write
down in case you should die. Aunt Jane doesn't like to read any
other kind of books but just lives of interesting dead people and
she says that is what Longfellow (who was born in the state of
Maine and we should be very proud of it and try to write like
him) meant in his poem:
"Lives of great men all remind us
We should make our lives sublime,
And departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time."
I know what this means because when Emma Jane and I went to the
beach with Uncle Jerry Cobb we ran along the wet sand and looked
at the shapes our boots made, just as if they were stamped in
wax. Emma Jane turns in her left foot (splayfoot the boys call
it, which is not polite) and Seth Strout had just patched one of
my shoes and it all came out in the sand pictures. When I learned
The Psalm of Life for Friday afternoon speaking I thought I
shouldn't like to leave a patched footprint, nor have Emma Jane's
look crooked on the sands of time, and right away I thought Oh!
What a splendid thought for my Thought Book when Aunt Jane buys
me a fifteen-cent one over to Watson's store.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
REMERNISCENCES
June, 187--
I told Aunt Jane I was going to begin my Remerniscences, and she
says I am full young, but I reminded her that Candace Milliken's
sister died when she was ten, leaving no footprints whatever, and
if I should die suddenly who would write down my Remerniscences?
Aunt Miranda says the sun and moon would rise and set just the
same, and it was no matter if they didn't get written down, and
to go up attic and find her piece-bag; but I said it would, as
there was only one of everybody in the world, and nobody else
could do their remerniscensing for them. If I should die tonight
I know now who would describe me right. Miss Dearborn would say
one thing and brother John another. Emma Jane would try to do me
justice, but has no words; and I am glad Aunt Miranda never takes
the pen in hand.
My dictionary is so small it has not many genteel words in it,
and I cannot find how to spell Remerniscences, but I remember
from the cover of Aunt Jane's book that there was an "s" and a
"c" close together in the middle of it, which I thought foolish
and not needful.
All the girls like their dairies very much, but Minnie Smellie
got Alice Robinson's where she had hid it under the school wood
pile and read it all through. She said it was no worse than
reading anybody's composition, but we told her it was just like
peeking through a keyhole, or listening at a window, or opening a
bureau drawer. She said she didn't look at it that way, and I
told her that unless her eyes got unscealed she would never leave
any kind of a sublimefootprint on the sands of time. I told her
a diary was very sacred as you generally poured your deepest
feelings into it expecting nobody to look at it but yourself and
your indulgent heavenly Father who seeeth all things.
Of course it would not hurt Persis Watson to show her diary
because she has not a sacred plan and this is the way it goes,
for she reads it out loud to us:
"Arose at six this morning--(you always arise in a diary but you
say get up when you talk about it). Ate breakfast at half past
six. Had soda biscuits, coffee, fish hash and doughnuts. Wiped
the dishes, fed the hens and made my bed before school. Had a
good arithmetic lesson, but went down two in spelling. At half
past four played hide and coop in the Sawyer pasture. Fed hens
and went to bed at eight."
She says she can't put in what doesn't happen, but as I don't
think her diary is interesting she will ask her mother to have
meat hash instead of fish, with pie when the doughnuts give out,
and she will feed the hens before breakfast to make a change. We
are all going now to try and make something happen every single
day so the diaries won't be so dull and the footprints so common.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
AN UNCOMMON THOUGHT
July 187--
We dug up our rosecakes today, and that gave me a good
Remerniscence. The way you make rose cakes is, you take the
leaves of full blown roses and mix them with a little cinnamon
and as much brown sugar as they will give you, which is never
half enough except Persis Watson, whose affectionate parents let
her go to the barrel in their store. Then you do up little bits
like sedlitz powders, first in soft paper and then in brown, and
bury them in the ground and let them stay as long as you possibly
can hold out; then dig them up and eat them. Emma Jane and I
stick up little signs over the holes in the ground with the date
we buried them and when they'll be done enough to dig up, but we
can never wait. When Aunt Jane saw us she said it was the first
thing for children to learn,--not to be impatient,--so when I
went to the barn chamber I made a poem.
IMPATIENCE
We dug our rose cakes up oh! all too soon.
Twas in the orchard just at noon.
Twas in a bright July forenoon.
Twas in the sunny afternoon.
Twas underneath the harvest moon.
It was not that way at all; it was a foggy morning before school,
and I should think poets could never possibly get to heaven, for
it is so hard to stick to the truth when you are writingpoetry.
Emma Jane thinks it is nobody's business when we dug the
rosecakes up. I like the line about the harvest moon best, but it
would give a wrong idea of our lives and characters to the people
that read my Thoughts, for they would think we were up late
nights, so I have fixed it like this:
IMPATIENCE
We dug our rose cakes up oh! all too soon,
We thought their sweetness would be such a boon.
We ne'er suspicioned they would not be done
After three days of autumn wind and sun.
Why did we from the earth our treasures draw?
Twas not for fear that rat or mole might naw,
An aged aunt doth say impatience was the reason,
She says that youth is ever out of season.
That is just as Aunt Jane said it, and it gave me the thought for
the poem which is rather uncommon.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
A DREADFUL QUESTION
September, 187--
WHICH HAS BEEN THE MOST BENEFERCENT INFLUENCE ON CHARACTER--
PUNISHMENT OR REWARD?
This truly dreadful question was given us by Dr. Moses when he
visited school today. He is a School Committee; not a whole one
but I do not know the singular number of him. He told us we could
ask our families what they thought, though he would rather we
wouldn't, but we must write our own words and he would hear them
next week.
After he went out and shut the door the scholars were all plunged
in gloom and you could have heard a pin drop. Alice Robinson
cried and borrowed my handkerchief, and the boys looked as if the
schoolhouse had been struck by lightning. The worst of all was
poor Miss Dearborn, who will lose her place if she does not make
us better scholars soon, for Dr. Moses has a daughter all ready
to put right in to the school and she can board at home and save
all her wages. Libby Moses is her name.
Miss Dearborn stared out the window, and her mouth and chin shook
like Alice Robinson's, for she knew, ah! all to well, what the
coming week would bring forth.
Then I raised my hand for permission to speak, and stood up and
said: "Miss Dearborn, don't you mind! Just explain to us what
benefercent' means and we'll write something real interesting;
for all of us know what punishment is, and have seen others get
rewards, and it is not so bad a subject as some." And Dick Carter
whispered, "GOOD ON YOUR HEAD, REBECCA!" which mean he was sorry
for her too, and would try his best, but has no words.
Then teacher smiled and said benefercent meant good or healthy
for anybody, and would all rise who thought punishment made the
best scholars and men and women; and everybody sat stock still.
And then she asked all to stand who believed that rewards
produced the finest results, and there was a mighty sound like
unto the rushing of waters, but really was our feet scraping the
floor, and the scholars stood up, and it looked like an army,
though it was only nineteen, because of the strong belief that
was in them. Then Miss Dearborn laughed and said she was thankful
for every whipping she had when she was a child, and Living
Perkins said perhaps we hadn't got to the thankful age, or
perhaps her father hadn't used a strap, and she said oh! no, it
was her mother with the open hand; and Dick Carter said he
wouldn't call that punishment, and Sam Simpson said so too.
I am going to write about the subject in my Thought Book first,
and when I make it into a composition, I can leave out anything
- writing [´raitiŋ]
n.书写；写作；书法 (初中英语单词) - valuable [´væljuəbəl, -jubəl] a.有价值的，贵重的 (初中英语单词)
- poetry [´pəuitri] n.诗；诗意 (初中英语单词)
- wealth [welθ] n.财富，财产 (初中英语单词)
- ashamed [ə´ʃeimd] a.惭愧；不好意思 (初中英语单词)
- dreadful [´dredful] a.可怕的；讨厌的 (初中英语单词)
- mostly [´məustli] ad.主要地；多半；通常 (初中英语单词)
- remind [ri´maind] vt.提醒；使记(想)起 (初中英语单词)
- whatever [wɔt´evə] pron.&a.无论什么 (初中英语单词)
- opening [´əupəniŋ] n.开放；开端 a.开始的 (初中英语单词)
- drawer [drɔ:ə] n.抽屉 (初中英语单词)
- sacred [´seikrid] a.神圣的；庄严的 (初中英语单词)
- spelling [´speliŋ] n.拼法；缀字 (初中英语单词)
- pasture [´pɑ:stʃə] n.牧场；放牧 v.吃(草) (初中英语单词)
- barrel [´bærəl] n.(琵琶)桶；圆筒 (初中英语单词)
- orchard [´ɔ:tʃəd] n.果园 (初中英语单词)
- underneath [,ʌndə´ni:θ] ad.&prep.在底下 (初中英语单词)
- harvest [´hɑ:vist] n.&v.收获；收割 (初中英语单词)
- handkerchief [´hæŋkətʃif] n.手帕，手绢 (初中英语单词)
- lightning [´laitniŋ] n.闪电 a.突然的 (初中英语单词)
- permission [pə´miʃən] n.允许；同意；许可 (初中英语单词)
- punishment [´pʌniʃmənt] n.罚，刑罚 (初中英语单词)
- belief [bi´li:f] n.相信；信仰，信条 (初中英语单词)
- banquet [´bæŋkwit] n.宴会，盛宴 (高中英语单词)
- carelessly [´kɛəlisli] ad.粗心地；疏忽地 (高中英语单词)
- decided [di´saidid] a.明显的；决定的 (高中英语单词)
- crooked [´krukid] a.弯曲的；畸形的 (高中英语单词)
- composition [,kɔmpə´ziʃən] n.写作；作曲；作品 (高中英语单词)
- heavenly [´hevənli] a.天的，天空的 (高中英语单词)
- affectionate [ə´fekʃənit] a.亲爱的 (高中英语单词)
- chamber [´tʃeimbə] n.房间；议院；会议室 (高中英语单词)
- sweetness [´swi:tnis] n.甜蜜；芳香；亲切 (高中英语单词)
- singular [´siŋgjulə] a.单一的；非凡的 (高中英语单词)
- mighty [´maiti] a.强有力的 ad.很 (高中英语单词)
- thankful [´θæŋkfəl] a.感激的；欣慰的 (高中英语单词)
- temperance [´tempərəns] n.节制；节欲；戒酒 (英语四级单词)
- testament [´testəment] n.契约，誓约；遗嘱 (英语四级单词)
- sublime [sə´blaim] a.崇高的，伟大的 (英语四级单词)
- arithmetic [ə´riθmətik] n.算术 (英语四级单词)
- uncommon [ʌn´kɔmən] a.非常的，非凡的，罕见的 (英语四级单词)
- impatience [im´peiʃəns] n.不耐烦，急躁 (英语四级单词)
- refreshing [ri´freʃiŋ] a.使心神爽快的 (英语六级单词)
- disgraceful [dis´greisful] a.可耻的；不光彩的 (英语六级单词)
- speaking [´spi:kiŋ] n.说话 a.发言的 (英语六级单词)
- footprint [´fut,print] n.脚印，足迹 (英语六级单词)
- genteel [dʒen´ti:l] a.有教养的；文雅的 (英语六级单词)
文章标签:名著
章节正文
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