My Antonia

I DO NOT REMEMBER our arrival at my grandfathers farm sometime before daybreak after adrive of nearly twenty miles with heavy work-horses. When I awoke it was afternoon. I was lying ina little room scarcely larger than the bed that held me and the window-shade at my head wasflapping softly in a warm wind. A tall woman with wrinkled brown skin and black hair stoodlooking down at me; I knew that she must be my grandmother. She had been crying I could see butwhen I opened my eyes she smiled peered at me anxiously and sat down on the foot of my bed.Had a good sleep Jimmy? she asked briskly. Then in a very different tone she said as if toherself My how you do look like your father! I remembered that my father had been her little boy;she must often have come to wake him like this when he overslept. Here are your clean clothes shewent on stroking my coverlid with her brown hand as she talked. But first you come down to thekitchen with me and have a nice warm bath behind the stove. Bring your things; theres nobodyabout.Down to the kitchen struck me as curious; it was always out in the kitchen at home. I picked upmy shoes and stockings and followed her through the living-room and down a flight of stairs into abasement. This basement was divided into a dining-room at the right of the stairs and a kitchen atthe left. Both rooms were plastered and whitewashed-the plaster laid directly upon the earth walls as it used to be in dugouts. The floor was of hard cement. Up under the wooden ceiling there werelittle half-windows with white curtains and pots of geraniums and wandering Jew in the deep sills.As I entered the kitchen I sniffed a pleasant smell of gingerbread baking. The stove was very large with bright nickel trimmings and behind it there was a long wooden bench against the wall and atin washtub into which grandmother poured hot and cold water. When she brought the soap andtowels I told her that I was used to taking my bath without help. Can you do your ears Jimmy? Areyou sure? Well now I call you a right smart little boy.It was pleasant there in the kitchen. The sun shone into my bath-water through the west halfwindow and a big Maltese cat came up and rubbed himself against the tub watching me curiously.While I scrubbed my grandmother busied herself in the dining-room until I called anxiously Grandmother Im afraid the cakes are burning! Then she came laughing waving her apron beforeher as if she were shooing chick