HOW WE KEPT MOTHER'S DAY

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 647.

After Stephen Leacock

I think it is avery good idea to celebrate once a year "Mother's Day."² I don't wonder that May the eleventh is becoming such a popular holiday in America. So we decided

¹ I am tired of waiting, I am tired of thinking — я устала ждать,
я устала думать

² What would Ido? — Что будет со мной?

I

¹ I want to watch you cook. — Я хочу видеть, как ты готовишь.
(Объектный инфинитивный оборот.)

² Mother's Day — День Матери

to have a special celebration of Mother's Day. We thought it a fine idea. We knew how much Mother did for us.

So we decided to make it a great day, a holiday for all the family and a happy day for our Mother. Father decided to take a holiday from his office, my sister Anne and I stayed at home from college classes, and Mary and my brother Will stayed at home from High School.

Our plan was to make the day like any big holiday. So we decided to decorate the house with flowers. We asked Mother to arrange the decoration because she always does it on holidays. The two girls wanted to dress in their very best¹ for such a big holiday, and so they both got new hats. Mother trimmed both the hats and they looked fine. Father bought new ties for himself and us boys. We wanted to buy a new hat for Mother too, but she said that she liked her old grey hat better than a new one.

Well, after breakfast we decided to take a car and take Mother for a beautiful drive into the country. Mother is never able to go to the country because she is busy in the house all the time.

But on the very morning of the day we changed the plan. Father decided to take Mother fishing.² Father had a new rod and he said that Mother could use it too.

So everything was ready for the trip. We asked Mother to cut up some sandwiches and make up a sort of lunch³ in case we got hungry.⁴ Mother put it all into a basket, and we were ready to go to the car.

Well, when the car came to the door, we saw that there was no room in it for us all. Father said that he could stay at home. He asked not to pay attention to him. .He said that there was a lot of work in the garden that he could do. It was silly to think that he could have any holiday.

Of course we didn't want to let Father stay at home. Then the two girls, Anne and Mary said that they could stay at home and help the maid to cook. Only it was such a pity⁵ to stay at home on such a fine day. As to us⁶ boys, we couldn't cook.

So in the end we decided that Mother could stay at home and get the dinner.¹ Mother doesn't like fishing,² and also it was a little cold and fresh out of doors, though the sun was bright. Father was afraid that Mother might catch cold.³

So we said good-bye to Mother and drove away. Mother stood and watched us as long as she could see us.

Well, we had a very happy day up among the hills. Father caught a lot of fish. Will and I fished too but we were not so lucky.⁴ The two girls met a lot of people that they knew. And there were their friends among them. The girls talked to their friends, and so we alb had a good time.

It was quite late when we came back, about seven o'clock in the evening. Mother kept the dinner ready and hot for us. Only first she brought towels and soap for Father and cleaned his clothes because they were very dirty after our trip. Then she helped the girls to get ready for dinner. That kept Mother busy for some time.

At last everything was ready and we sat down to dinner. The dinner was like on New Year's Day. Mother got up and down many times during our dinner; she brought things to us and carried the dishes away. At last Father noticed it and said that she must not do it and he got up and brought walnuts himself. The dinner lasted for a long time, and it was great fun.⁵ When it was over all of us wanted to help Mother to wash dishes. But Mother said that she could do it herself, and so we let her because we wanted to please her.

It was quite late when it was all over, and when we all kissed Mother before we went to bed, she said, "It was the happiest day in my life," and I think there were tears in her eyes.