Funny Little Socks: Being the Fourth Book

In Short

This volume is a charming relic of Victorian juvenile literature, blending imaginative play with gentle didacticism. It features three distinct stories: a young girl’s earnest attempt to manage her household, a vivid account of children performing an elaborate drama with their dolls, and a tall tale about an elderly couple whose mobile home is magically transported by a runaway bull. Written with an affectionate, conversational tone, the collection captures the cozy, domestic aspirations of 19th-century children, offering a window into a past era’s ideas of conduct, comfort, and play.

The Story

The collection opens with "Little Mother," a domestic comedy of manners. Kitty, a young girl, is left in charge of her younger siblings, Luly and Walter, while their mother visits the city. Kitty takes her role with immense seriousness, even donning a maternal cap to receive a visiting minister. The day is filled with gentle mishaps, including Walter’s accidental destruction of a doll named Gawow, which is swiftly repaired with rags and maternal care. The minister entertains the children with a cautionary poem about three kittens who ignore their mother’s advice and suffer a "shocking climax" in a pond, a story that delights the children despite its grim, tongue-in-cheek moral.

The second story, "Dolls at Housekeeping," shifts to the imaginative world of Lina and her friends, Minnie and Maggie. On a rainy afternoon, the girls animate their doll collection to stage an elaborate "wedding" between Miss Isabella Belmont Montague and Mr. Morris. The narrative unfolds through the children's voices as they move the dolls and invent dialogue, complete with a supporting cast of black-doll servants and unruly children dolls. The drama is filled with absurdity—a doll’s eyes pop out during a song, and a groom is pinned to his own waistcoat to ensure he remains standing. Through their play, the girls mirror the social rituals they observe in their own lives, culminating in a grand feast and a "journey" across the nursery floor in a tin carriage.

The final tale, "The Fairy Wish," follows Timmy and Polly Timmens, an elderly couple living in a house on wheels. Because their horse has died, they are isolated from their neighbors and long to be moved to the village. They discover a "fairy foxglove" and attempt a nonsensical, rhyming spell at exactly noon. As Timmy recites the charm, the house is suddenly whisked away—not by a fairy, but by a runaway bull whose tail becomes snagged in their door. The house is dragged at high speed, crashing into the village, where the couple finds it resting under an apple tree. They interpret the chaotic event as a genuine miracle, happily settling into their new life in the village, firmly convinced that their magical incantation has been answered.

How It Unfolds

The responsibility of the child Kitty is tasked with the "important affairs" of the household, navigating her role as a caretaker while balancing the playful impulsiveness of her younger brother. Her interaction with the minister provides a bridge between her childish play and the adult world she seeks to emulate.

The drama of the dollhouse Lina and her companions transform a rainy day into a theatrical production, using their dolls to act out complex social scenarios. The play relies on the children's ability to improvise dialogue and handle the physical limitations of their toys, such as glue-fastened clothing and falling eyes.

The wedding festivities The children meticulously plan a marriage ceremony for their dolls, incorporating music, a formal procession, and a feast. The tension between the elegance of the dolls’ attire and their physical awkwardness provides the primary humor of the performance.

The fairy miracle The Timmy Timmens household remains in a stagnant state until the elderly couple attempts a magical intervention. The transition from their lonely field to the village is marked by a whirlwind of accidental physical comedy and the misunderstanding of a frightening animal encounter as a supernatural event.

The People

Kitty is a precocious and responsible older sister who finds pride in imitating her mother's domestic authority. She is grounded in affection, using her playtime to nurture her siblings and maintain a sense of order.

Lina, Minnie, and Maggie are imaginative playmates who serve as the architects of the doll world. They display a collaborative spirit, readily accepting roles and negotiating the logistics of their complex domestic drama. Their play is marked by an ability to find beauty in the mundane, turning a box of toy food into a "grand supper."

Timmy and Polly Timmens are a quaint, elderly pair whose contentment is tethered to their unique, mobile home. They are characterized by their simple faith and their gentle, crackling joints, embodying a nostalgic view of rural life where even a terrifying encounter with a bull can be viewed through a lens of whimsy and belief in the miraculous.

In Its Own Voice

Describing the minister's reaction to Kitty's attempt at acting as a grown-up, the author captures the gentle, playful rapport between the generations:

"Why, Kitty! are you the old woman that lived in a shoe? or have you got bald all of a sudden, that you have taken to caps?"

Reflecting the children's imaginative zeal during their doll-play, the author notes:

"It seemed so funny to have the dolls making love in this fashion, they couldn't help it."

Describing the absurd climax of the elderly couple's magical journey, the narrator emphasizes the couple's stubborn optimism:

"And if they're not dead they live there still! Don't you believe it? Well I NEVER did!"

What It's Really About

At its heart, this book explores the way children use play as a rehearsal for adult life. By imitating the roles of mothers, ministers, and married couples, the children in these stories find a way to make sense of the social world. Simultaneously, the stories suggest that innocence allows for a unique kind of wisdom; the children (and the elderly couple) possess an ability to transform the mundane or the chaotic into something significant. It argues that imagination is the primary tool for navigating one's circumstances, whether those circumstances involve a nursery floor or a house on wheels.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate the history of children’s literature or the cozy, domestic atmosphere of 19th-century stories will find much to admire here. The book captures a specific, bygone rhythm of childhood—before the era of digital distraction—where a few wooden dolls and a rainy afternoon could sustain an entire world of drama. It is a warm, rhythmic read, filled with the kind of playful, repetitive language that invites reading aloud.

However, modern readers should be prepared for the book's period-specific sensibilities. The language includes colloquialisms and phonetic spellings meant to capture the speech of the time, which can occasionally feel dated or cumbersome. Additionally, the casual inclusion of a caricatured "nigger boy doll" reflects the racial attitudes of the 1860s, a stark reminder of the biases embedded in literature of that period. If approached as a historical artifact, the book offers a fascinating glimpse into the domestic values and the vibrant, unscripted play of a different century. It remains a gentle, humorous look at the ways we define our homes and our roles within them, lingering with the reader as a testament to the enduring power of a child’s creative mind.