Here and Now Story Book Part 10

So the grocery man hangs up the telephone and takes a basket and in the basket he puts some potatoes, some graham crackers, a package of sugar and some carrots.

Then prrrip! prrrip! prrrip! the telephone rings again.

"h.e.l.lo!" says the Grocery Man. "Who is this?"

"This is John's Mother. Good morning, Mr. Grocery Man."

"Good morning, John's Mother. What can I send you today?"

"Please, Mr. Grocery Man, send me some spinach and some apples and some b.u.t.ter and some eggs."

"Is that all, John's Mother?"

"Yes, that's all. Goodbye, Mr. Grocery Man."

"Goodbye, John's Mother."

So the Grocery Man hangs up the telephone and takes another basket and in the basket he puts some spinach and some apples and some b.u.t.ter and some eggs.

Then prrrip! prrrip, prrrip! the telephone rings another time.

"h.e.l.lo!" says the Grocery Man. "Who are you?"

"I'm Robert's Mother. Good morning, Mr. Grocery Man."

"Good morning, Robert's Mother. What can I send you today?"

"Please, Mr. Grocery Man, send me some prunes and some macaroni and some salt and some oatmeal."

"Is that all, Robert's Mother?"

"Yes, that's all. Goodbye, Mr. Grocery Man."

"Goodbye, Robert's Mother."

So the Grocery Man hangs up the telephone and takes another basket and in the basket he puts some prunes and some macaroni and some salt and some oatmeal. Then he carries Ruth's basket out and puts it in a wagon on the street. Then he carries John's basket out and puts it in the wagon. At last he carries Robert's basket out and puts that in the wagon with the others. Then the driver jumps to the seat and gathers up the reins and says "Go on, Old Dan," and clopperty, clopperty clop! off goes Old Dan down the street.

Old Dan goes clopperty, clopperty, clop till he gets to Ruth's house and there he stops. The driver jumps out and takes the basket and pat, pat, pat, go his feet running to the door. Prrrr! he rings the bell and gives Ruth's mother the potatoes, the graham crackers, the sugar and the carrots. Then pat, pat, pat, he is back in the wagon. "Go on, Old Dan,"

and clopperty, clopperty, clop! off goes Old Dan down the street.

Old Dan goes clopperty, clopperty, clop till he gets to John's house and there he stops. The driver jumps out and takes another basket and pat, pat, pat go his feet running to the door. Prrrr! he rings the bell and gives John's mother the spinach, the apples, the b.u.t.ter and the eggs.

Then pat, pat, pat, he is back in the wagon. "Go on, Old Dan," and clopperty, clopperty, clop! off goes Old Dan down the street.

Old Dan goes clopperty, clopperty, clop till he gets to Robert's house and there he stops. The driver jumps out, takes another basket and pat, pat, pat, he is at the door. Prrrr! he rings the bell and gives Robert's mother the prunes, the macaroni, the salt and the oatmeal. Then pat, pat, pat, he is back in the wagon. "Go on, Old Dan," and clopperty, clopperty, clop! off goes old Dan down the street.

So Old Dan goes clopperty, clopperty, clop from house to house until he has left a basket with everybody who telephoned to the grocery man in the morning.

THE JOURNEY

This story, which is an adaptation of a five-year-old's story quoted in the introduction, embodies the details given to me by another three-year-old child. The sound of the train should be intoned, as it was in the original telling.

THE JOURNEY

Once Ruth's father was going to take a journey. He got out his suitcase.

And in his suitcase he put his slippers, his pajamas, his tooth brush, some tooth paste, some clean underclothes, some clean s.h.i.+rts, some collars, some socks and some handkerchiefs. Then he kissed Ruth goodbye as she lay asleep in her bed and he kissed her mother goodbye and with his suitcase in his hand went up to the Pennsylvania Station.

At the train he met the negro porter. "What berth, sir?" said the porter. "Lower 10", said Ruth's father. So the porter took the suitcase and put it down at Number 10 which was all made up into two beds, one above the other, with green curtains hanging in front. Then Ruth's father undressed. And in a few minutes he was asleep behind the green curtains.

Soon the train started and Ruth's father never woke up. "Thum," said the train (on many different keys) all through the night. "Thum, thum, thum; thum, thum, thum, thum; thum, thum, thum, thum; thum, thum, thum, thum.

_Philadelphia!_ Thum, thum, thum, thum; thum, thum, thum, thum; thum, thum, thum, thum; thum, thum, thum, thum. _Baltimore!_ Thum, thum, thum, thum; thum, thum, thum, thum; thum, thum, thum, thum; thum, thum, thum, thum. _Was.h.i.+ngton!_"

Then Ruth's father got up and dressed himself, for it was morning. The negro porter carried his suitcase to the platform. "Goodbye, sir," he said. "Goodbye, Porter," said Ruth's father. And then he went off to a hotel.

The next day it was time for him to go home. So Ruth's father packed his suitcase again. In his suitcase he put his slippers, his pajamas, his tooth brush, some tooth paste, his dirty underclothes, his dirty s.h.i.+rts, his collars, his socks and his handkerchiefs. Then he went to the Pennsylvania Station in Was.h.i.+ngton.

At the train he met another negro porter. "What berth, sir?" said the porter. "Upper 6," said Ruth's father. So the porter took the suitcase and put it in the top bed of Number 6. Ruth's father climbed up into the upper berth. Then he undressed and in a few minutes he was asleep behind the green curtains.

Soon the train started. "Thum," said the train, though Ruth's father never heard it he was so sound asleep. "Thum, thum, thum, thum; thum, thum, thum, thum; thum, thum, thum, thum; thum, thum, thum, thum.

_Baltimore!_ Thum, thum, thum, thum; thum, thum, thum, thum; thum, thum, thum, thum; thum, thum, thum, thum. _Philadelphia!_ Thum, thum, thum, thum; thum, thum, thum, thum; thum, thum, thum, thum; thum, thum, thum, thum. _New York!_"

Then Ruth's father got up and dressed himself for it was morning. The negro porter carried his suitcase to the platform. "Goodbye, sir," he said. "Goodbye, Porter," said Ruth's father.

Then Ruth's father jumped into a taxi and in a few minutes he was at home. Ruth came running down the stairs. "Here's father," she cried.

"Here's father in time for breakfast!" "My," said Ruth's father, giving her a hug, "It's good to be home!"

PEDRO'S FEET

Here there is a definite attempt to let the sounds tell their own story.

PEDRO'S FEET

Little Pedro was a dog. He lived in New York City. He was owned by a little boy who loved him. For Pedro had big brown eyes and curly brown hair and when he wanted anything he would go: