SCENE NINE The play room, what the Torrys call their "prize room'
upstairs level, Baltimore State Asylum.
Littles were playin guddes wif some of guddes boxed-up sojers. Thems was veryiest like th ones Littles played wif from Littles Gramma Jean's gud ol' house, where Torrys Littles did be usta run an play. Thems was bestest sojers, Littles culd memember, wif all guddes colors and decked out like in long ago fightin times. Thems guddes ones of these was be call Condinentils.. Thems had buffs an blues fer thems coats an' hats an funny lookin' trowzers, wif thems guddes stripey ol' flags.
Thems baddes ones of these boxed up sojers was be call Rddcohts, thems had reds an whites fer thems clotheses an' nuniforms, an' differn more funnier lookin' flags. An wif thems Condinentils camed even more guddes, specially brave an bestest sojers. Torrys knowed about thems… from long an long an Grampa Jaimey's favrit stories. Thems had browns an' blacks an' greys an' lots kinds colors of thems clotheses, thems dint hev no nuniforms a bit, cos thems was g'rillas, thems was pardees'ns, an did be go wif bestes ever Gen'rls Fraanciss Maryons! Playin wif thems guddes sojers, Torrys liked to play thems was grillas… fightin at ol' Tar'tten, an' Cor"waliss. Thems was baddes ever Rddcohts, ever, cept fer ol Ki Geor, course!
Grampa Jaimey teld Littles, gen an gen, Littles wuld ast hims. Grampa Jaimey knewed mos ever thing, an pecially knewed bout Gen'rls Fraanciss ' even Torrys Littles veryiest own momma did be knowed "bout some of thems ol' fightin'… She wuld come over, hug an' teld her Littles
'time to stop soldiering, my Torry, and come up now". Dat was fer Littles to come up an' go a sleepin' Torrys did be allus goin' up wif momma. Mebbee when was no so littles, wuld stay down an' play mores. An'torrys momma knowed th' mos' funnier thing t' say "bout thems ol' fightin' stories Grampa Jaimey teld. Torrys wuld grin up at momma allus an' be teld her 'momma, y"er so, so pretty, momma!" She did likt dat, an'kisst her Torrys.
Den wuld momma allus, allus sayd: "Why so are you, my Torry-Little! All the Randolphs are fine lookin' people, well set-up, and handsome as the day is long! But… you know, you won't understand this yet, my own Little, but it's just as true, anyhow. All of us pretty, and truly thoroughbred Randolphs, haven't had a single lick of sense amongst the whole entire lot of us, since the Revolution!"
Torrys wuld allus giggle when momma, Gramma, unc Jimmy sed dat. It was so funnier, Littles thunk. Grown folks thunked it too, an' even Torry's guddes quiet, some of times smilin', some of times no smilin' Poppa. Playin' wif boxed up sojers wuld allus make guddes pichurs in Littles heds… guddes' warm an' sof an … sleepy-makin' pichurs, too.
Kinda muzzied, Littles curled up on thems sof, warm, gud smellin' kinda cot-fing, an' started in to make more of thems guddesfav'rit ones. Littles wazz a-sleepin' on their guddes' sof an warm, gud smellin' kinda cot-fing, in their guddes' prize room. They did be get to be goin' asleepin' there all th' times nows. It put some of them veryiest guddes' pichurs in their heds, from when Littles was hardly even babies. When Littles snuggled down onta their cot-fing, it put pichurs right in their thinkers, of guddes' places, an' peepls, an'… bein' sayf an' fine an' gud boys wif Littles Grammas, Grampas, unc Jimmee, Aun' Jo, hims Poppa an hims momma, too
Torrys momma was so veryiest many pretty like in fairy stories. She was allus singin, runnin' smilin', ridin' roun wif Torrys, playin' too. She allus did be laffin, huggin, lovin her own Littles. Poppa was veryiest quiet, but he did smile at Torrys… An it felt veryiest guddes warm an' fine all down insides… It was a veryiest gudder fing for Torrys to help Poppa get some of smilin… Poppa was a lot saddy nows, but no cried cos thems Poppa wazz all a grown folks, all a growed up boy, nows. Poppa culdn't fyn hims smilin' veryiest much nows… Gramma, Aun' Jo, Grampa, unc' Jimmy sed-so.
There was a lots of saddys… Littles seed an heered thems, wif ev"body. An' thems saddys wantad to come sit wif Littles… an wazz veryiest big ol' saddy… an Littles thinker wuldn't go, dint wanta go, lookin' fer th' why wazz… nope, nope dint wantad go fyn why wazz th' big ol' saddy… Littles thunked they wuld jus go huggin' on Poppa, that wuld, mebbee culd give hims back some of hims smilin, Poppa liked Torrys Littles huggin on him… An if Poppa culdn't fyn hims smilin', Poppa could purely have some of Torrys Littles smilin fer nows. Yup. Littles wuld jus go fyn an hug on thems guddes quiet saddy Poppas… Littles wuld get up from nappin, an go fyn thems veryiest own Poppa…
But nows Littles culdnt. Littles culdnt move or look or lissen or make enny, enny kinda sorta souns … A mos awfully scariest ever fing wazz… Little's little noses wazz happy snuffin' at th' gud smellin' sof" cot-fing when wazz wakin up "gen. but den… wazz somefings mos awfully bad an scaredy… thems noses founded it an all the bigges' ever scaredys comed runnin up at Littles gen… thems noses founded thems sharp, almos makin sneezes, almos makin' Torry's eyes waterin… like when Grampa Jaimey tookt an' grounded up pepp"corns for Gramma Jean, an Littles watched… long an long…
Thems sharp, pepp"corn smellin' somefings allus came wif th mos' baddes mos' awfully bad an scaredys … allus camed wif thems mos' awfully saddy an' baddes scaredy-dreems… allus camed wif all them baddes pichurs puttin in Littles' heds… allus camed wif them mos maddy, scaredy talkin… mos' owwy, scaredy veryiest cohd an maddy talkin'…An' thems peppercorns smellin allus camed wif thems mos awfully owwys ever… mos skeeredy owwys, mos' baddes' owwys…
Littles knowed thems was mos' awfully baddes… an den more scaredy, maddy talkin…an den more owwys, more baddes' fings… an allus camed wif all thems mos awfully baddes owwyiest fings … Far an far ways, Littles heered ovver talkins, ovver guddes no skeeredy, no owwy, nevver maddy talkins….But was far an far. An no culd wriggle, turn roun, no culd be talkinup, no culd whi"per… or nothin… th' mosawfully bad an saddy skeerdy camed on back gen, affer it goed ways affer it no camed for long…
Littles wazz veryiest bad an bad boys, Littles wazz so veryiest an mos awfully dis' bedien… "gen an'gen, an' gen! Littles did be laffin', runnin' singin', playin' Dat wazz mos' baddes' dis'bediens, Littles did be smilin', wrigglin' cryin' some of times like babies, an mos awfully, mos' baddes' Littles did be talkinup, "gen an'gen, an' gen' an gen! Now Littles did be so many veryiest much dis'bedien', nows Littles culdn't be camed on home, culdn't be wif thems Poppa, Gramma, Aun' Jo, Grampa, unc' Jimmee! Littles culdn't be evver gud boys no, no, more, no evver!
Littles guddes momma went aways far an far an far … t' be a angel… an nows Littles wazz so many much bad boys… thems Littles culdnt be wif thems brovvers…no thems Ds an' lissen to thems funnier talkins, thems funnier games, no thems Ws, cos thems Wsculdn't no more be takt cares of Littles… no, no, more evver, evver! An pecially, pecially Littles culdn't be wif thems Vs, wif thems Ol'est Torry, no, no, mores, an takt cares of thems guddes' Vs brovvers… no, no, no, mores, evver! Nows Littles did be havta stay steel, stok-steil, stay heers, no ovver, enny, enny ovver places… no, no, evver!
Nows, Littles mus' allus, allus, allus, allus stay quiyat, lessen thems maddy, scaredy, owwy mans did be sed… Nows, Torrys Littles culdn't be talkinup no, no, no, more, evver, evver, no to Quiyat Tommy, no to Jac, Jer'mee an' Frankie, no to Littles ovver guddes' friens, neever… an' no, no more to Mee-Gell, no, no more to temusPoppa, neever. No to enny, enny guddes friens, no, no, more, dat wazz veryiest mos' awfully dis bedien…
The skeerdy did be teld Torrys Littles what if thems be dis bedien gens, nows… Bfor, when Littles was so many awfully dis bedien, the skeerdy sed, what did be happen? Littles guddes' momma was so many saddy, so many s'amded, so many much owwied, she did be go far an far an far t' be a angel. Nows, if Littles did be dis' bedien' gen… Nows, thems guddes' saddy, quiyat Poppa wuld be go far an far …far an far… t' be a angel wif Torry's momma…. B'for times, when Torrys was so many awfully dis' bedien, thems dint hev thems momma no, no, more affer dat! Nows, if Torrys Littles be dis'bedien, thems wuldn't hev thems guddes' quiyat Poppa, no, no, no, more neever!
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