Chapter 16
What Kate Put in her Diary

Roddy Dawe broke my heart when he asked me if there would be a parade or fireworks. I love fireworks too. The last time I saw some was on Queen Victoria's birthday.

Anybody was allowed to see them. I wonder if Roddy Dawe did. Maybe I did not see him there. Reverend Hackett says we are blind. Reverend Hackett is so nice looking. Too bad he's a student preacher. I wish he could stay.

I wonder what Frances Ridley Havergal would do if she met Roddy Dawe. I love her books. I want to be humble like her for Jesus. But worldly concerns get in the way.

Sometimes I think I'll never be a real saint. Gertie and I stayed in the church eating oranges. We were waiting for the women's meeting to start in the hall. We talked and laughed so much, we missed the meeting.

But they only talked about what pattern we should choose for new dishes in the church hall. They had a big argument. Some wanted wild roses and some wanted lily of the valley.

I would have voted for wild roses. I found a pretty bush that day we boiled up in the country: Maud and Gertie and I took the children. Father had to hose down the house that day. The street was so dusty.

We went to the river to get away from the heat and dust. The boys ran in the woods and found a nest low down in a tree. The nest looked nice with one little green egg in it. There was thunder and lightning. Then the sun came out again.

Birds sang as the sun set. The moon lit the water. There were little boats. We gathered a basket of ferns. We sang all the way home. We cut through two meadows to see the train pass. It was fun running through hay up to our knees. We got our stockings wet, and we didn't get home until ten.

It's so good to remember that day. Now it's the dead of winter. The council has gangs of men shovelling snow. But there's nowhere for them to put it. It's hard to believe that little green egg was real. I remember Gertie said it felt warm.