Sarah, Plain and Tall

The dogs like Sarah and sleep near her bed. She shows Anna and Caleb her collection of sea shells and explains how to hold them up to their ear to hear the ocean sounds. Though Anna and Caleb can see that Sarah misses her home near the sea, she takes the children to collect flowers to dry for the winter, and Caleb interprets this to mean she is staying. One of the flowers is called “Bride’s Bonnet” and one is called “wooly ragwort” (23), which Caleb thinks is humorous and causes him to break out into a silly song. Sarah makes stew and Papa makes bread; everyone likes the meal. When Papa compliments her stew, Sarah says, “Ayuh,” which means “yes” where she comes from. Caleb and Papa try out the unfamiliar word.

After dinner, Sarah says that her brother has a boat named Kittiwake, a type of sea bird. Caleb wonders if William looks like Sarah, and she says he is also plain and tall. Sarah cuts Caleb and Papa’s hair and scatters the cuttings into the wind for the birds to use in their nests. She ties Anna’s hair with a ribbon, and as they stand looking in the mirror, Anna thinks she resembles someone who could be Sarah’s daughter.