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Her Mother Perceived: It requires effort to associate printed smbols with spoken words that have already gathered meaning. Vhy bother to put forth this effort? Agnes Repplier did not make the effort until she was ten years old. Before that time she had enjoyed the adventure, information, and fun contained in books by having someone read to her. Consequently, she did not learn to read until her mother perceived what was happening. Then came the edict, harsh and menacing: no one was to read to her. All "the delight that lay between the covers of books" was closed to her. So she went to work, and "not without difficulty" learned to read.
Gestation takes 16 days; 7-15 in litter; young born pink, naked, and blind. Do not disturb young or mother for at least a week after birth; if disturbed mother will either kill and eat the young or neglect them and allow them to die. After 3 weeks, remove young from mother; otherwise, mother fights with them and often kills them. Sexes should be separated before young reach maturity at 43 days.
After school, on their way home the child asked timidly, "Mother, chocolate malted?" and looked up at her mother beseechingly.
"No pea soup, no chocolate malted," her mother answered firmly.
At home the mother began to prepare dinner. The child stayed around, asked for water and got it. Seeing that she was going to get nothing else, she went to play quietly with her blocks. Sitting on the Floor she put the blocks one on top of another forming a tower and then suddenly she smashed them down on the floor. She did the same thing five times, perhaps as an expression of aggression that she dared not even feel toward her mother. |
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