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|   Get to Know Her Describe what a typical day is like for you. Every morning I get Maggie and Emma ready to go over to Mrs. Hanson's house. Mrs. Hanson has taken care of my sisters for the past year, ever since Mama died. Once Mrs. Hanson said that Mama was hoity-toity because she came from the rich side of Halifax. Now she says that Mama was the nicest, kindest person ever to walk the earth. It takes seven minutes to get to school if I don't dilly-daddle. My teacher, Mr. Shirley, says that if I am late one more time I will have to go to the principal's office. I don't mean to be late but sometimes it's hard getting Emma and Maggie changed and fed and over to Mrs. Hanson's. Sometimes I wish I didn't have to take care of Emma and Maggie. I love them, really I do, but I wish I had more time to play. I have a best friend named Agnes, Aggie for short. We like to skip and play outside. Before Mama died we even did our homework together. Now, after school, I have to go straight over to Mrs. Hanson's and pick up Maggie and Emma. When I get them home, I put on the tea. Papa comes home early for his tea. I'm not a very good cook but Papa helps. After we have eaten Papa checks my homework. I'm not very good at sums but I have good penmanship. He plays with Emma and Maggie and helps me with the housework and puts us to bed. I like it best when he reads to us from one of Mama's books. Many times Papa goes out after we've gone to bed. He goes back to work. I think Papa is very lonely without Mama. Who is the most important person in your life? That's a silly question. Everyone knows it's Papa. Sometimes I wonder, what would become of us if anything happened to Papa. Would we be sent to the orphanage? I try not to think of it, but sometimes I worry about Papa having an accident. What thing do you love most in the world? Promise you won't tell? I know that's it's wicked of me, and very, very vain, but I do love clothes. Mama used to cut down the fancy dresses she had before she married Papa and make me new clothes. It was such fun. I don't have very many new clothes now but I don't say anything. I wouldn't want Papa to think that I was selfish. Besides, Maggie and Emma need new things too. What is your greatest wish? I know that this sounds silly, I know that I can't have it, but if only I could see Mama just one more time. If only I could tell her that I love her, just one more time. Our minster at church says that I must not feel this way. He says that God called Mama to Him and that I should accept God's will. I try, really I do. But I miss her. What is your greatest fear? Mrs. Hanson says that it's not fittin' for a man to raise three girls all by himself. I don't understand. Why not? I am so afraid that Papa will send us away. I don't want to leave him. I don't want to leave our house and I don't want to leave Maggie and Emily. What do you do for fun? Aggie and I used to play dolls and in good weather we used to jump rope on the street in front of our house. Sometimes, in the evening, we'd play kick-the-can. Aggie has lots of brothers and sisters and the other children on the street play too. Once Aggie's dog, called Dunce, stole our can and ran down the street. Aggie's bother was furious but we laughed so hard that we cried. We still play, but not so often anymore. I gave Emma my dolls and there's not much time to play anymore.  What aspect of life in the twenty-first century do you think you would love the
most?Papa says that one day almost everyone will have an automobile. I can hardly believe that. I'd like to have one and drive it too. Mrs. Hanson's says that my mind must have been carried off by the fairies because everyone knows that only men can drive cars. I think that's silly. If I could drive a car I would drive all the way to Victoria, British Columbia. I would see every part of Canada. What aspect of life in the twenty-first century do you think you would dislike the most? Nothing! Everything is going to be perfect. There will be no more wars, because Papa says that the war we are in now, called The Great War, is the war to end all wars. There will never be another one like this one because people will have learned their lesson. And there won't be any more diseases because Mr. Shirley says that there will be something called inoculations against disease. Everyone will be really happy if there are no wars and no disease. |
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