CHAPTER 7 – OUT FOR VOTES
First up is the Rivers' we met Mrs. Rivers when she distracted Betsy as the birthday party girls came over earlier in the book. Next up are the Hunts. They are “deaf and dumb” in the parlance of the day.
How interesting that she uses the name Hunt! Dave Hunt was a silent fellow – could be be their son? There is only mention of a baby in that house in BIG HILL, and Dave Hunt (according to Sharla Whalen) is based on Bob Hughes whose father was a judge, so probably unlikely to be hearing impaired. And Buehlah Hunt was one of the Winonas. There is no meniton in the Companion of this neighborhood family at all. [1]
We hear a lot about the need for inclusivity in children's books and here is Maud in 1942 highlighting characters who have disabilities and promoting acceptance of immigrants. Yay Maud! [2], [3]
Miss Williams, the music teacher is on team Julia. As is her brother Ben who is one of those non-royal book carrying kind of boys. Julia hits up Mrs. Benson – but the girls aren't worried. She loves them best. The postman will sign both or neither requiring a new rule of no double signing. The bigs pick up Dorothy. No mention is made of her jowles, but she is their enemy now. BT&T pick up Alice who is given two more attributes – earnestness and thick blond braids.
The baker's boy signs for Julia. (Clearly, she used her wiles. Look at that picture, she is seductively pinching his arm.) But he gives Tib a donut to make up for it. Corruption in government already! He is angling for baker-friendly legislation regardless of who wins. This is a down and dirty business...
There are some strange houses as the girls wend their way to the ice cream social. They are so confident in getting all the votes there that they just send Tib. Yep, they rest while Tib does the work. Again...
But Tib comes back furious! The evil ones have not only gotten all the social votes – they are dining on cake and ice cream! Oh the horror! You can see how pleased they are in the picture. Our gals are just tiny little figures in the back, but I am guessing Tib's right fist is clenched.
They hatch a plan to go to Little Syria for the votes. They know it would be frowned on, but they haven't been specifically told not to so they are going to take the chance. Oh girls... [4]
CHAPTER 8 – LITTLE SYRIA
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| Betsy Tacy Society marker is where the houses are and the Jefferson Elementary School is the site of the Meechum Mansion. James Avenue still has a few of the old homes that were inhabited by early Syrians in Mankato. |
They are nervous, but they know Naifi lives there so that makes it feel a little less scary.
They start at Mr. Meechum's pointedly unfriendly house. They try the door but are chased by a dog. Dogs are the worst. Betsy gets caught on the fence as they try to escape. The picture is hysterical. They all looked completely freaked out. I am freaked out by the hugeness of Tib's hands in this picture! No wonder she usually clenches her fists.
They are rescued by a young man who is chopping wood outside who turns out to be Naifi's father! He recognizes BT&T from his daughter's story and is pleased to meet them. He refers to her as “My heart. My eyes,” which strikes strikes Betsy as strange but Tacy likes it. Your eyes are important! [5]
They go into Naifi's house and there is her grandpa pulling on a hubble-bubble pipe, otherwise known as a narghile. You can still purchase those today! Although I can't imagine what on earth you would use it for. In other news, Grandpa is super mellow.
Grandma is making kibbe – which according to the internet is the Lebanese equivalent of meatballs made with lamb. She gives them raisins and dates for a snack.
Naifi's family all sign the ballot and her father sends them off to get signatures from all the neighbors. There is a delightful look at all the new things that they see, the people they meet and the growing sense of comfort they take in this new and exciting place. [6]
There is a picture of Tib petting that rascally goat as Naifi looks at her grandma like she's thinking, “Enough with the raisins already!”
On the way out of town, they see Mr. Meechum and his beautiful white horses (and his daughter) and the Meechums (and driver) all sign for Tib. The girls head home filled with the joy that only screwing over your big sister can bring!
CHAPTER 9 – THE QUARREL AGAIN
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| Seriously, they look like piles of intestines. |
Now to step back, when they saw all the work the big girls had done, Tib was all for conceding. But Betsy is a stubborn little troll. I know, I still support her over Julia, but she could give in this one time. Tacy rolls however Betsy does so they dig in their heels. It does not go well.
Katie brings the sass - “You might have let a chicken run over the paper.” Watch it, Katie. Their alphabet is older than yours.
The carnage begins. Arms, legs, lists and streamers all are flying. Mrs. Ray comes out to see what is going on. [7]
When Betsy mentions Little Syria, we hear the scratch of the needle as is drags across the soundtrack and everything stops. Oh, they are in SO MUCH TROUBLE!
It is decided that Mr. Ray developed this plan and he will sort it out, but he conveniently has a Lodge meeting that night. So it will be sorted tomorrow.
Betsy and Julia each spend the evening pretending the other doesn't exist. After supper Betsy goes out to play, but it isn't fun. She does NOT like this quarreling. The fact that Julia almost cried when she said everything was ruined really hit Betsy hard. Julia never even cries when she gets spanked! And Tacy is feeling bad about Katie, too. These girls know that they really do get some benefit from their older sisters.
At bedtime Mrs. Ray makes them apologize, but everyone knows it's just hollow words. As Betsy lies in bed, cue the flashback footage of all the fun times she and Julia have had together. Betsy starts crying quietly. Then she hears Julia crying – not quietly at all! They reconcile.
Julia is feeling so guilty about Betsy going to “that awful place” Little Syria. But Betsy tells her that it was a lovely place and they talk and talk until they realize they have never been up that late before. OH!! I love it when Betsy stays up late. All the best things happen when
you stay up late! [8]
They go to sleep happily with but one question hanging in the air. What will they do with those streamers??
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Questions for discussion -
[1] What do you think is the deal with the Hunts?
[2] Maud is so forward thinking in her (dare I call it?) feminism - here she writes matter-of-factly about neighbors with disabilities fitting in to the neighborhood and acceptance of immigrants - both of these ideas are not necessarily things you'd see in 1940s kid lit. Or am I wrong? Do you know of other examples?
[3] On a related note - in what other ways does Maud and her depiction of Betsy seem more forward-thinking than you'd expect from the time?
[4] MORE CONFESSIONS!! You knew you were't allowed, but you weren't NOT allowed. What did you do young Maudlers? What did you do? Tell all...
(I wasn't allowed to play in the woods behind the elementary school the summer after 5th grade because bad kids smoked back there, but no one said anything about the woods beside the elementary school. That didn't end well...)
[5] This makes me choke up a little bit - did your Dad have a special nickname for you?
(Mine was Boomer or Slug. I know - weird. But I fell down a lot as a toddler and said "Boom!" and was covered with slime. Just kidding! Slug was short for Slugger-duggar. Don't know why...)
[6] Betsy is awesome at adopting places! GREAT WORLD is the high bar for this - she makes a home of nearly everywhere she goes. What is your favorite Betsy-goes-to-a-new-place-and-makes-it-her-own story?
[7] Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like this is a real physical altercation? Did you physically fight your siblings?
(I was more a proponent of psychological warfare with my sisters, but there was the rare occasion of biting or scratching, And one very memorable throwing of a vase.)
[8] Oh come one, you saw this coming - what is your favorite Betsy-stays-up-late story in the books?
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