Chapter XVII
A Letter from Davy
“It’s beginning to snow, girls,” said Phil, coming in one November evening,
“and there are the loveliest little stars and crosses all over the garden walk. I
never noticed before what exquisite things snowflakes really 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 to feel 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 Aunt
Jamesina.
“And so is laughter,” added Anne. “There’s no tax on it yet and that is well,
because you’re all going to laugh presently. I’m going to read you Davy’s letter.
His spelling has improved immensely this past year, though he is not strong on
apostrophes, and he certainly possesses the gift of writing an interesting letter.
Listen and laugh, before we settle down to the evening’s study-grind.”
“Dear Anne,” ran Davy’s letter, “I take my pen to tell you that we are all
pretty well and hope this will find you the same. It’s snowing some today and
Marilla says the old woman in the sky is shaking her feather beds. 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 the cellar
stairs last week. When she fell she grabbed hold of the shelf with all the milk
pails and stewpans on it, and it gave way and went down with her and made a
splendid crash. Marilla thought it was an earthquake 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’t under stand
him and took it all inside instead. The doctor said it was a wonder it dident kill
her but it dident and it cured her ribs and Mrs. Lynde says doctors dont know