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LIFE AMONG THE LOWLY 317 |
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as to suppose that Topsy had at last fallen into her way, could do without overlooking, and so go off and busy herself about something else, Topsy would hold a perfect carnival of confusion, for some one or two hours. Instead of making the bed, she would amuse herself with pulling off the pillow-cases, butting her woolly head among the pillows, till it would sometimes be grotesquely ornamented with feathers sticking out in various directions ; she would climb the posts, and hang head downward from the tops ; flourish the sheets and spreads all over the apartment; dress the bolster up in Miss Ophelia's night-clothes, and enact various scenic performances with that, — singing and whistling, and making grimaces at herself in the looking-glass ; in short, as Miss Ophelia phrased it, " raising Cain " generally.
On one occasion, Miss Ophelia found Topsy with her very best scarlet India Canton crape shawl wound around her head for a turban, going on with her rehearsals before the glass in great style, — Miss Ophelia having, with care lessness most unheard of in her, left the key for once in her drawer.
" Topsy ! " she would say, when at the end of all patience, " what does make you act so ? "
" Dunno, Missis, — I spects 'cause I 's so wicked! "
" I don't know anything what I shall do with you, Topsy."
" Law, Missis, you must whip me; my old Missis allers whipped me. I an't used to workin' unless I gets whipped."
" Why, Topsy, I don't want to whip you. You can <lo well, if you 've a mind to; what is the reason you won't ? "
" Laws, Missis, I's used to whippin'; I spects it 's good for me."
Miss Ophelia tried the recipe, and Topsy invariably made a terrible commotion, screaming, groaning, and imploring, though half an hour afterwards, when roosted on |
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