Charlotte’s Web Chapter 18 The Cool of the Evening
Evening comes and everyone everything at the fair starts to wind down. Last rides are taken on the Ferris Wheel (Henry Fussy invites Fern and even pays for her ride.) After the fireworks, everyone returns to their cars and trucks, where youngsters are wrapped in blankets to sleep during the ride home.
“Bring me back a word,” calls out Charlotte.
After gorging himself on discarded food found wrapped in a newspaper, Templeton rips a word “humble” out of the paper and brings it back to Charlotte.
Perfect, explained Charlotte, it perfectly described Wilbur who embodies the two definitions of humble, not proud and close to the ground. Charlotte weaves the word into her web.
Later Wilbur, who is sleepy and ready to turn in for the night talks to Charlotte and realizes that she is not near her web.
“What are you doing there Charlotte?”
“Oh making something,” she said. “Making something, as usual.”
“Is it something for me?” asked Wilbur.
“No,” said Charlotte. “It’s something for me, for a change.”
Wilbur wants Charlotte to tell him what she is making.
“”I’ll tell you in the morning,” she said. “When the first light comes into the sky and the sparrows stir and the cows rattle their chains, when the rooster crows and the stars fade, when early cars whisper along the highway, you look up here and I’ll show you something. I will show you my masterpiece.”
Tuckered out, everyone falls to sleep.
“I had the best time I have ever had anywhere or any time in all of my whole life!” exclaims Fern.
“Well!” said Mrs Arable. “Isn’t that nice!”
Chapter 18 Lessons Learned
Both Fern and Avery fall asleep under the Indian blanket in the back of the truck on the ride home. .
Lesson Learned –If you’ve lived your day with exuberance and passion, falling asleep is not going to be a problem.
Templeton finds a word in the newspaper that was wrapped around his dinner.
Lesson Learned –.If you’re eating by yourself, there’s nothing wrong with bringing a book or something to read.
Humble’s two definitions fit Wilbur perfectly.
Lesson Learned – When you’ve found the perfect word, you know it.
After weaving a web for Wilbur, Charlotte makes something for herself.
Lesson Learned: Go ahead and help others, but occasionally doing something for yourself is not only appropriate but also life affirming. .
“When the first light comes into the sky and the sparrows stir and the cows rattle their chains, when the rooster crows and the stars fade, when early cars whisper along the highway, you look up here and I’ll show you something. I will show you my masterpiece.”
Lesson Learned: Let this be your morning prayer when you wake. Make this the day you show everyone your masterpiece.
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Wendy Thomas writes about the lessons learned while raising children and chickens in New Hampshire. Contact her at [email protected]
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