Shalom Talk

It was late in the evening, O’Toole was getting ready for sleep, Hank the tank was in the room making a circle in his favorite spot. O’Toole’s mother came in to wish him a good night.

O’Toole asked his mother — Can you tell me the story about yellow curtains again? I like hearing stories about you when you were a little girl.

O’Toole’s mother said — yes, I can tell you that story but then you have to go to sleep.

Hank the Tank said — oh yes please tell this story.

O’Toole’s mother started… If you asked my friend Carlie where she lived, she would say not in the city and not in the country. I live in a place just right between the city and the country. I live in a house on River Road.

The house Carlie lived in was not too big and it was not too little. The house was just right. Carlie had her own bedroom. Not many of her friends had their own bedroom but she did.

Now, right down the road from my friend Carlie in a beautiful White House lived Mr. Bill. He was a very nice man who worked all the time in the neighborhood.  Mr. Bill was a fix-it man. There seemed to be nothing that Mr. Bill could not make or fix. All the neighbors came to see Mr. Bill when they had something that needed to be done.

Mr. Bill and Carlie were very good friends. Sometimes Carlie’s mother would let her ride into town with Mr. Bill in his truck. She loved to go to downtown Tucson and look at all of the pretty buildings. Sometimes Mr. Bill would let Carlie go with him on a fix-it job in the neighborhood.

One day, Carlie saw Mr. Bill drive up to his house with wood in his truck.  She knew he was going out to fix something.

She ran over to him smiling and said — Hello Mr. Bill, what’s the wood for?

Mr. Bill said to Carlie — I’m going to make a doghouse for Mr. Brown’s house.

Carlie asked Mr. Bill — can I go with you please?

Mr. Bill laughed and said – Go ask your mom if it is ok.

Carlie’s mom was ok with the plan, Mr. Bill and Carlie drove up the street just a few houses and stopped at Mr. Brown’s house.

Carlie asked Mr. Bill — can you make any kind of doghouse?

Mr. Bill thought about it for a minute and said — well if you can draw a picture of it, I can make it.   

Carlie found some paper and drew a very nice picture.

Carlie replied — Here is the picture, please make this one a pretty one. 

Mr. Bill said to Carlie – well, I need to make this house look the way that Mr. Brown wants. After all, this doghouse is going to be owned by Mr. Brown. But just for you I will make you a pretty one also.

Carlie watched Mr. Bill make the doghouse. All the time she was thinking about how pretty the doghouse would be if it had a yellow door and yellow curtains.

Later that week, Mr. Bill had a job to do for Mr. Morris. Mr. Bill was going to make a hen house for Mr. Morse chickens. Mr. Morris was very happy to get Mr. Bill to work on the hen house project. His chickens were running all over the place looking for some shade.

Carlie asked Mr. Bill — can I come with you?

Mr. Bill said — you better ask your mother before you and I go to this job. 

Carlie asked her mother — can I ride with Mr. Bill over to Mr. Morrison’s house and watch him build the hen house?

Carlie’s mother said yes you may but don’t stay too long and don’t be a nuisance to Mr. Bill.  So, Mr. Bill and Carlie went over to Mr. Morris’s house and Mr. bill started building the henhouse.

Carlie asked Mr. Bill can we make this one pretty can you put a yellow door and yellow curtains on this hen house?

Mr. Bill said to Carlie — no not today. Mr. Morris wants to be able to see inside the hen house to see his chickens through the window. I’m sorry miss Carlie.

Mr. Bill finished the hen house and it was a very fine hen house indeed and they went back Home.

The next day Mr. Bill made a birdhouse for Carlie’s neighbor. It was a very nice birdhouse but it did not have a yellow door and yellow curtains. Carlie was sad.  She spent time talking to God about what to do.

Now the weekend had come and Mr. Bill had taken a few days of rest. Mr. Bill was the church on Sunday . On Monday Mr. Bill had another task. Carlie was not able to go with him because Carlie went to town with her mother.

When she got home later that day from town, she went and found Mr. Bill. She told Mr. Bill all about the moving stairs that took her to the top floor of the clothing store they were in. She had a beautiful new yellow hat that her mother had bought.

Mr. Bill said come on let me show you something in your backyard. They went back into the backyard together.

Mr. Bill pointed up in the tree and said — what do you think?

Carlie was so surprised. Mr. Bill had made Carlie a treehouse with yellow doors and yellow curtains.

Mr. Bill said I know you were praying about yellow doors and yellow curtains. God told me it was time to build this house for you. I kept the picture you made for me. I made you a tree house with a yellow door and yellow curtains.  I used your picture to guide my hands so your tree house would be just right.

Carlie was very thankful to God and Mr. Bill.  She spent a lot of time that summer with her yellow hat on, playing in that tree house, with a yellow door and yellow curtains.

O’Toole and Hank the Tank were almost asleep when O’Toole’s mom finished the story.

O’Toole smiled and said — I like to hear about your life and things that God does for us. Thank you, mom. It has been a very good day.  The End.

Written by Lillian Moore, published in Humpty Dumpty Childrens Magazine, May 1955

Adapted for ShalomTalk by Dan