It begins early in November. I just checked a 1905 calendar and the second Saturday was November 11. So today is the 114th anniversary of this spectacular day!
Betsy decides to wear a pretty hat (pictured) and her regular stockings - no hood, leggings and overshoes for our fashionable girl! She grabs Julia's fancy pocketbook and says goodbye to everyone on Hill Street. Tacy is her final parting. Tacy, as usual, is a brick and makes Betsy feel good about going by herself.
The library is described as a "small white temple" and there is a cage in the center. Betsy cases the joint as she has never been in a library before. Imagine being able to pinpoint the first time you were ever in a library! There is a mole covered woman with messy hair in the cage. I am not kidding - that is how she is described. We know that she is a LOVELY young woman with a "cozy" face - but the mole and the hair are mentioned... This is Miss Sparrow. And it is one of the best days of Miss Sparrow's working life because she is about to meet a girl who was born to be in a library!
They discuss "the classics" and Betsy learns the wonders of the children's room. There is a picture of THE ISLE OF DELOS in the room and that is a sweet easter egg for those of us who know the name of the love of Maud's life. There is a bit of hand-selling books from Miss Sparrow and then Betsy sits by the fire to read.
Betsy is the picture of mindfulness as she looks around to appreciate where she is right now. When the lunch whistle blows she comes back to real life from her books and heads out to dine.
She goes to Bierbauer's bakery and has a bologna sandwich because we are soul mates! There is a cute bit about her wondering if people aren't surprised to see a young girl her age eating alone. She smiles at everyone who looks at her and is smiling most of the time. So adorable, this early independence.
My favorite line - "Betsy returned to her chair, took off her coat and hat, opened her book and forgot the world again." Story of my life!
Betsy had been hoping it would snow so that she could go to her dad's store and catch a ride home with him, but she is attacked by strange boys armed with snowballs. Her vain decision to not wear winter clothes and carry a pocketbook come to bite her in the butt as she gets pommeled. At one point "snow oozed down the collar of her coat" which is the most horrible thing about winter, bar none.
Luckily Mrs. Poppy and Sunny Jim find her, They talk of revenge and Tib and Mrs. Poppy invites her to the hotel where she lives to dry off. This sets off a chain of events that make this the sweetest read of them all.
I've read this chapter a million times and it just occurred to me that Betsy did not check out books to take home to read. Was that not done then? Hmmm.
ReplyDeleteShe asked if she could, but Miss Sparrow said she had to get her library card signed first.
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, now I remember. Must re-read ASAP. Downtown and Heaven to Betsy are my favorites, although Betsy-Tacy-Tib is hilarious.
ReplyDelete