In Which We Discuss Hitty: Her First Hundred Years
Written by Rachel Field, illustrated by Dorothy Lathrop

HITTY Her First Hundred Years

Week of May 17, 2010

Chapter Nine:  In Which I Have Another Child to Play with Me:

Hitty has found another home after being rescued from the snake handler.  Some missionaries bargained for her as a gift for their daughter, Little Thankful.  She is a rather spoiled child but kind and Hitty was comfortable and well taken care of in Little Thankful's household. She had new clothes and was clean again. Life was quiet, but Hitty used this opportunity to improve her mind. She enjoyed learning hymns and committed a number of them to memory.

Due to Little Thankful’s health, she and Hitty are sent back to America, to Philadelphia. A rather lonely voyage for Hitty as Little Thankful did not take her everywhere like Phoebe used to, but Hitty was happy to see the blue water again and hear the familiar sounds of shouted orders, the wind in the rigging, and the chanteys of the men as they hauled on their lines.

Upon seeing the streets of Philadelphia, the lovely homes and the church they passed, Hitty felt happier than she had been since she became parted from the Prebles.

Hitty and Thankful are to attend a birthday party.  Little Thankful made her a new little wrap to wear to the party, but even though Little Thankful was happy to have Hitty as her doll she became embarrassed by Hitty's worn complexion when compared to the beautiful wax and china dolls of the other party-goers.  The first opportunity Thankful gets, she stuffs Hitty into the deep recesses of a horse-hair sofa up in the attic where she spends many, many lonely years.

DISCUSSION:

Were it not for the fact that Little Thankful became ill, Hitty might have stayed in India a long time. Going back to America is very exciting for her. Maybe she will see the Prebles again, although Philadelphia is quite a ways from Maine.

Little Thankful was not very kind or loyal to Hitty. At a birthday party they attended, the party goers made such fun of Hitty, calling her all sorts of nasty names, that Little Thankful could not stand it.

When Hitty is placed on the sofa with the other "beautiful" dolls, she felt their eyes regarding her with disapproval. "Still, beauty is not everything in this world," she told herself, but at that moment she felt "it was a very great help, indeed." She determined at that moment to do her best to make Little Thankful proud of her. I find that totally sad that Hitty feels she has to work hard to make LT proud. But then again, Thankful is a little girl and I am sure all those beautiful dolls were just too overwhelming compared to her Hitty who has been sunburned and tattered over the years. However, Little Thankful was beyond embarrassed by Hitty's appearance and being teased and made fun of, and the first chance she gets she stuffs poor Hitty into a horse-hair sofa and doesn't even return to get her when the party is over.

How sad for Hitty. To be abandoned by her owner. Her she was Little Thankful's companion in India, was with her sailing to America, and now deserted because of her looks.

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Of course Hitty was abandoned by Thankful...  it's what she learned from her parents.  They abandoned her. 

I know missionary work is important, but not at the neglect of their own daughter.  They should have returned with her and cared for her, not left it up to others.  It was their first responsibility to take care of their child.  I expect Hitty felt the same as Thankful.