The Racketty-Packetty House
Week of July 21, 2008
Block 9:
Peter Piper has decided to get Lady Patsy to notice him by climbing down a homemade ladder and entertaining her with his somersaults and pretending to be a Duke. Lady Patsy was thoroughly entertained and laughed and laughed at his antics. Finally he pretended to have a guitar and sang a love song up to her window, did a jig, made a bow, kissed his hand, and ran up the ladder to the Racketty-Packetty attic.
After that display, Lady Patsy would not leave her window even to go to bed. The Tidy Castle ladies did not approve and could not understand why she would spend all her time at the window. Lady Gwendolyn swooned and the nurse could scarcely restore her when Lady Patsy told her that she was watching the Racketty-House people as they were such fun.
The Castle dolls turned up their noses and sniffed aloud when they spotted the Racketty-Packetty dolls. They absolutely “scorned” the Racketty-Packetty dolls and the Duchess said several times she would remove them from the neighborhood because they were “absolutely low.”
One moonlit night, Peter Piper called up to Lady Patsy’s window. He threw a rope up to her at the window and, just like lightening, began to run up the ladder to her window and asked her to marry him. “I haven’t anything to give you to eat and I am as ragged as a scarecrow, but will you?” Lady Patsy said, “I eat very little and I would do without anything at all, if I could live in your funny old shabby house.”
Peter says “Every one of us is as nice as can be.” It is laughing that does it. He invited Lady Patsy over to the Racketty-Packetty house. Upon arrival, she greeted Meg, Peg, Kilmanskeg, Ridiklis and Gustibus with kisses and hugs. She told them of her dull, boring life at the Castle and how happy she is to be at Racketty-Packetty house.
DISCUSSION:
In this chapter Peter Piper confesses his love for Lady Patsy. She
sneaks done a rope ladder and goes to visit the dolls at the Racketty-Packetty
house. She loves having fun with them. The other dolls are still haughty. The
duchess even writes a letter asking Cynthia to remove the Racketty-Packetty
house from the neighborhood.
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I loved this chapter! And isn't it so nice for the RP's that someone
from the 'big house' is so nice? I love Lady Patsy.
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I just loved this 'chapter'. I can see a lot of progress in the story
in the chapter. For one thing, the Tidyshire Castle folks aren't 'all' bad--Lady
Patsy demonstrably has different views on life and others. It's too bad she
has to sneak over to the house behind the door, but maybe that is better than
allowing Lady Gwendolen to faint dead away again!
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I wonder how Lady Patsy got into that Castle family! She must never have fit in with the rest of them. She definitely has a feel for what's important in life - caring for others and enjoying oneself and even being silly while doing it. I feel sorry for those empty, haughty shells of Tidyshire Castle folks. They don't know what they are missing. Won't they be horrified when they find out Lady Patsy has stolen down the ladder with one of those low life RP's, and even worse when they find out she is to marry one of them!!! The story gets more interesting. Can't wait to see what happens in Block 10.
I also wonder how Lady Patsy must have felt sitting at her window watching
the RP's play, dance, and go about their business. It must have been a terribly
lonely feeling because there was no such display of loving and caring in the
castle - no dancing and silly antics for sure -- just stodginess and superiority
over the "neighborhood." I am so glad she escaped and she didn't hesitate
when asked - she just went with Peter like her feet were on fire!!!
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It would be like being in prison. All of life goes on around you, and
you are only permitted small peeks.
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Lady Patsy appears to be very much like Peter Piper in disposition. When Ridiklis mentioned that their house may be burned down, she was stunned for a moment but then told the family that the Tidy Castle folks had forgotten all about them. Then they danced around some more and enjoyed themselves.
I like the way the gentleman mouse was so protective of the Racketty-Packetty
family. He was keeping a close eye on those Tidy Castle folks. When the Duchess
would write a nasty letter to Cynthia about removal of the Racketty-Packetty
people, he would remove it from her desk so that the dreaded Cynthia would never
see it.