7 (Part One) What Katy Did - Stephanie Poppins

What Katy Did is an 1872 children's book written by Sarah Chauncey Woolsey under her pen name "Susan Coolidge". It follows the adventures of a twelve-year-old American girl Katy Carr, and her family who live in the fictional lakeside Ohio town of Burnet in the 1860s.

In this episode, a sick aunt comes to visit.

Transcript

You're listening to S.

D.

Hudson Magic What Katie Did by Susan Coolidge This story follows the adventures of a twelve-year-old American girl,

Katie Carr,

And her family who live in the fictional lakeside Ohio town of Burnett in the 1860s.

Chapter 7.

A little knot of the schoolgirls were walking home together one afternoon in July.

As they neared Dr.

Carr's gate,

Maria Fisk exclaimed,

At the sight of a pretty bunch of flowers lying in the middle of the sidewalk,

Oh my!

She cried.

See what somebody's dropped.

I'm going to have it.

She stooped to pick it up,

But just as her fingers touched the stems,

The nosegay as if bewitched began to move.

Maria made a bewildered clutch.

The nosegay moved faster and at last vanished under the gate,

While a giggle sounded from the other side of the hedge.

Did you see that?

Shrieked Maria.

Those flowers ran away themselves.

Nonsense,

Said Katie.

It's those absurd children.

Then opening the gate,

She called,

John,

Dory,

Come out and show yourselves.

But nobody replied and nobody could be seen.

The nosegay laid on the path,

However,

And picking it up,

Katie exhibited to the girls a long end of black thread tied to the stems.

That's a very favourite trick of Johnny's,

She said.

She and Dory are always tying up flowers and putting them out on the walk to tease people.

Here,

Maria,

Take them if you like,

Though I don't think John's taste in bouquets is very good.

Isn't it splendid to have vacation come?

Said one of the bigger girls.

What are you all going to do?

We're going to the seaside.

Pa says he'll take Susie and me to Niagara,

Said Maria.

I'm going to make my aunt a visit,

Said Alice Blair.

She lives in a real lovely place in the country.

And there's a pond there.

And Tom,

That's my cousin,

Says he'll teach me to row.

What are you going to do,

Katie?

Oh,

I don't know.

Play round and have splendid times,

Replied Katie throwing her bag of books into the air and catching it again.

But the other girls looked as if they didn't think this good fun at all,

And as if they were sorry for her.

And Katie felt suddenly that her vacation wasn't going to be so pleasant as that of the rest.

I wish Papa would take us somewhere,

She said to Clover as they walked up the gravel path.

All the other girls' papas do.

He's too busy,

Replied Clover.

Besides,

I don't think any of the girls have half such good times as we.

Ellen Bobbins said she'd give a million dollars for such nice brothers and sisters as ours to play with.

And you know,

Maria and Susie have awful times at home,

Even though they do go places.

Miss Fisk is so particular.

She always says don't,

And they haven't got any yard to their house or anything.

I wouldn't change.

Nor I,

Said Katie,

Cheering up at these words of wisdom.

Oh,

Isn't it lovely to think there won't be any school tomorrow?

Vacations are just splendid.

And she gave her bag another toss.

It fell to the ground with a crash.

There,

You've cracked your slate,

Said Clover.

No matter,

I shan't want it again for eight weeks,

Replied Katie comfortably as they ran up the steps.

They burst open the front door and raced upstairs,

Crying,

Hooray,

Hooray,

Vacation's begun.

Aunt Izzie,

Vacation's begun.

Then they stopped short,

For lo and behold,

The upper hall was all in confusion.

Sounds of beating and dusting came from the spare room.

Tables and chairs were standing about in a cot bed,

Which seemed to be taking a walk all by itself,

Had stopped short at the head of the stairs and barred the way.

Why,

How queer,

Said Katie,

Trying to get by.

What can be going to happen?

Oh,

There's Aunt Izzie.

Aunt Izzie,

Who's coming?

What are you moving the things out of the blue room for?

Oh,

Gracious,

Is that you,

Replied Aunt Izzie,

Who looked very hot and flurried.

Now,

Children,

It's no use for you to stand there asking questions.

I haven't got time to answer them.

Let the bedstead alone,

Katie,

You'll push it to the wall.

There,

I told you so,

As Katie gave an impatient shove.

You've made a bad mark on the paper.

What a troublesome child you are.

Go right downstairs,

Both of you,

And don't come up this way again until after tea.

I've just had as much as I can possibly attend to until then.

Just tell us what's going to happen and we will,

Cried the children.

Your cousin Helen's going to visit us,

Said Mrs.

E.

Kirtley,

And disappeared into the blue room.

This was news indeed.

Katie and Clover ran downstairs in great excitement and after consulting a little,

Retired to the loft to talk it over in peace and quiet.

Cousin Helen coming?

It seemed as strange as if Queen Victoria,

Gold crown and all,

Had invited herself to tea,

Or as if some character out of a book,

Robinson Crusoe,

Say,

Or Amy Herbert,

Had driven up with a trunk and announced the intention of spending a week.

For to the imaginations of the children,

Cousin Helen was as interesting and unreal as anybody in the fairy tales.

Cinderella or Bluebeard or Dee Red Riding Hood herself.

Only there was a sort of mixture of Sunday school book in their idea of her.

For cousin Helen was very,

Very good.

None of them had ever seen her.

Billy said he was sure she hadn't any legs because she never went away from home and lay on a sofa all the time.

But the rest knew that this was because cousin Helen was ill.

Papa always went to visit her twice a year and he liked to talk to the children about her and tell how sweet and patient she was and what a pretty room she lived in.

Katie and Clover had played cousin Helen so long that now they were frightened as well as glad at the idea of seeing the real one.

Do you suppose she'll want us to say hymns to her all the time?

Asked Clover.

Not all the time,

Replied Katie,

Because you know she'll get tired and have to take naps in the afternoons.

And then of course she reads the Bible a great deal.

Oh dear,

How quiet we'll all have to be.

I wonder how long she's going to stay.

What do you suppose she looks like?

Went on Clover.

Something like Lucy and Mrs.

Sherwood I guess,

With blue eyes and curls and a long straight nose.

And she'll keep her hands clasped so all the time and wear frilled wrappers and lie on the sofa perfectly still and never smile,

But just look patient.

We'll have to take off our boots in the hall,

Clover,

And go upstairs in stocking feet so as not to make a noise all the time she's here.

Won't it be funny?

Giggled Clover,

Her sober little face growing bright at the idea of this variation on the hymns.

The time seemed very long till the next afternoon when cousin Helen was expected.

Aunt Izzy,

Who was in great excitement,

Gave the children many orders about their behavior.

They were to do this and do that and not do the other.

At last Dory announced he wished cousin Helen would just stay at home.

Clover and Elsie,

Who had been thinking pretty much the same thing in private,

Were glad to hear she was on her way to a water cure and would stay only four days.

Five o'clock came.

They all sat on the stairs waiting for the carriage.

At last it drove up.

Papa was on the box.

He motioned the children to stand back.

Then he helped out a nice-looking young woman,

Who Aunt Izzy told them was cousin Helen's nurse,

And then very carefully lifted cousin Helen in his arms and brought her in.

Oh,

There are the chicks,

Were the first words the children heard in such a gay pleasant voice.

Do set me down somewhere uncle,

I want to see them so much.

So Papa put cousin Helen on the hall sofa.

The nurse fetched a pillow and when she was made comfortable Dr.

Carr called to the little ones.

Cousin Helen wants to see you,

He said.

Indeed I do,

Said the bright voice.

So this is Katie.

What a splendid tall girl Katie is.

And this is Clover kissing her.

And this is dear little Elsie.

You all look as natural as possible,

Just as if I'd seen you before.

And she hugged them all round,

Not as if it was polite to like them because they were relations,

But as if she had loved them and wanted them all her life.

There was something in cousin Helen's face and manner which made the children at home with her at once.

Even Philly,

Who'd backed away with his hands behind him after staring hard for a minute or two,

Came up with a sort of rush to get his share of kissing.

Still,

Katie's first feeling was one of disappointment.

Cousin Helen was not at all like Lucy in Miss Sherwood's story.

Her nose turned up in the least bit in the world.

She had brown hair which didn't curl,

Brown skin,

And bright eyes which danced when she laughed or spoke.

Her face was thin,

But except for that she wouldn't have guessed she was sick.

She didn't fault her hands and she didn't look patient,

But absolutely gay and merry.

Her dress wasn't a frilled wrapper,

But a sort of loose travelling thing of pretty grey stuff with a rose-coloured bow and bracelets and a round hat trimmed with a grey feather.

All Katie's dreams about the saintly invalid seemed to take wings and fly away.

But the more she watched cousin Helen,

The more she seemed to like her and to feel as if she were nicer than the imaginary person which she and Clover had invented.

She looks just like other people,

Don't she?

Whispered Ceci,

Who had come over to have a peep at the new arrival.

Yes,

Replied Katie doubtfully,

Only a great great deal prettier.

By and by,

Papa carried cousin Helen upstairs.

All the children wanted to go too,

But he told them she was tired and must rest,

So they went outdoors to play till tea time.

Oh,

Do let me take up the tray,

Cried Katie at the tea table as she watched Aunt Izzy getting ready.

Such a nice supper for cousin Helen.

Cold chicken,

Raspberries and cream,

And tea in a pretty pink and white china cup,

And such a snow-white napkin as Aunt Izzy spread over the tray.

No indeed,

Said Aunt Izzy,

You'll drop it the first thing.

But Katie's eyes begged so hard that Dr Carr said,

Yes let her Izzy,

I like to see the girls useful.

So Katie,

Proud of the commission,

Took the tray and carried it carefully across the hall.

There was a bowl of flowers on the table.

As she passed she was struck with a bright idea.

She set down the tray and picking out a rose,

Laid it on the napkin beside the sauce of crimson raspberries.

It looked very pretty,

And Katie smiled to herself with pleasure.

What are you stopping for?

Called Aunt Izzy from the dining room.

Do be careful Katie,

I really think Brigida better take it.

Oh no no,

Protested Katie,

I'm almost up already.

And she sped upstairs as fast as she could go.

She'd just reached the door of the blue room when she tripped upon her boot lace,

Which as usual was dangling,

Made a misstep and stumbled.

She caught at the door to save herself.

The door flew open and Katie with the tray,

Cream,

Raspberries,

Rose and all,

Descended in a confused heap upon the carpet.

I told you so,

Exclaimed Aunt Izzy from the bottom of the stairs.

Katie never forgot how kind cousin Helen was on this occasion.

She was in bed and of course a good deal startled,

But after one little jump nothing could have been sweeter than the way in which she comforted poor crest fallen Katie and made so merry over the accident that even Aunt Izzy almost forgot to scold.

The broken dishes were piled up and the carpet made clean again,

Whilst Aunt Izzy prepared another tray just as nice as the first.

Please let Katie bring it up,

Pleaded cousin Helen in her pleasant voice.

I'm sure she'll be careful this time.

And Katie,

I want just such another rose on the napkin.

I guess that was your doing wasn't it?

Katie was careful.

This time all went well.

The tray was placed safely on a little bedside table and Katie watching cousin Helen eat her supper with a warm loving feeling at her heart.

I think we're scarcely ever so grateful to people as when they help us get back our own self-esteem.

Cousin Helen hadn't much appetite,

Though she declared everything was delicious.

Katie could see she was very tired.

Now,

She said when she had finished,

If you shake up this pillow so and move this other pillow a little,

I think I will settle myself to sleep.

Thank you Katie,

That's just right.

Why Katie dear,

You're a born nurse.

Now kiss me goodnight and tomorrow we will have a nice talk.

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Reviews

Enjoying each chapter. Thanks very much Stephanie. xo Léna 😘& the furbabies. 🐱🐱🐾🏵🐨