Bits of Clay by Adeline Adams (1922)

Name: Bits of Clay
Author: Adeline Adams

Raymond Brooke, the seven-year-old son of a sculptor, is scolded by his new French governess, Mademoiselle, for failing to identify a relative pronoun, and flees to his father's studio rather than face her further. There he finds his father absent and a clay portrait bust standing on the modelling-stand: a likeness of Madam Randolph of Highcourt, an elderly, still handsome and elegant society lady whom college girls have commissioned to be carved in marble for a college library. Left alone with a scrap of clay, Raymond mounts a typewriter box to reach the bust and, thinking of the dark shadow above Mademoiselle's lip, moulds a pair of fierce moustaches and a goatee onto the lady's face, modelling them, by his own later account, after the whiskers of Mr. Smith at the grocery-store. The gentle, matronly portrait is transformed into the face of a swaggering military man. Horrified at what he has done, Raymond flees to hide behind the tomato plants and the corn. Meanwhile, in the garden, Raymond's father and Madam Randolph have finished her sitting and are admiring the Antonin Mercié phlox, named for the sculptor's old master. Madam Randolph presses Mr. Brooke to accept a further commission: a bronze portrait of her father, Captain Carteret, based only on an old daguerreotype from his Civil War days. Mr. Brooke refuses, insisting he works only from life and has sworn never again to reconstruct an old likeness from a faded early photograph. As they step into the studio, Mr. Brooke is confronted with the defaced bust and, guessing at once that Raymond is responsible, starts forward in fury to destroy the boy's additions. Madam Randolph, quicker-sighted, has already spotted Raymond's sandalled feet disappearing toward the tomato plants, and she restrains the sculptor's hand. Looking again at the bearded bust, she recognizes in it, to her delight, the very image of her father, Captain Carteret, needing only a uniform to complete the likeness, and she produces the daguerreotype to prove it. Won over by her insistence and by the coincidence, Mr. Brooke agrees to make two portraits after all: the marble bust of Madam Randolph as originally planned, and the bronze of Captain Carteret based on Raymond's accidental clay model, though he declines to add the moustaches himself in her presence, remarking that his son seems to have "the soul of a barber." That evening Raymond is punished and sent to bed in disgrace, sobbing out apologies to his mother and explaining that he only wanted to see how the clay lady would look with whiskers. His mother reflects, unseen by him, that his supposedly disgraceful act has in fact brought the family a second, lucrative commission, enough to buy him the pony he wants, though she resolves not to let him learn how lucky his misbehavior really was.

By Adeline Adams · First published 1922 · Genre: Literary Fiction, Humorous Fiction, Children's Literature · 3,002 words

First lines

What a curious thing is a piece of clay, and, dear Lord, how willing it is, under our fingers! Look now, here is a bit of clay, no larger than a pullet's egg, and no one knows what may come of it. Shall I mould you a few petals, with my thumb and forefinger, like this, and then shape up a closed golden heart, like that, and next fuss and fuse them all together, thus? You see, it is a rose! It has all the form a clay rose need ask, for the moment; if it had but color and perfume, it might be the rose of the world! However, I set no great store by it; I shall tear my rose in twain, to please you; and if you like, I will pinch up the lesser part into a bishop's mitre, and the greater part into a churchly face, no feature lacking. Indeed, I will put in as many features as you suggest, though, of course, from the modern point of view, too few are better than too many.

Open reader

Similar titles

Genres

Literary Fiction — The story demonstrates sophisticated narrative voice, metaphorical language (clay as willing instrument), and literary commentary on the nature of creation and art, reflecting the refined writing style of early 20th century literature.
Humorous Fiction — The narrative is infused with wit, irony, and comedic situations, particularly the absurdity of a child's mischief inadvertently creating a valuable commission, told with a playful and entertained narrative tone.
Children's Literature — The protagonist is a seven-year-old boy and the story centers on childhood behavior, a child's perspective, family dynamics, and the innocent mischief of youth, making it accessible and relevant to younger readers.
Short Story — The work is a self-contained narrative of brief length with a singular focused plot, complete arc, and resolution typical of the short story form.

What this Textopian page supports

Bits of Clay is listed on Textopian as a short story by Adeline Adams, dated 1922 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

Work type: Short story
Author: Adeline Adams
Date: 1922 CE
Language: English
Genres: Literary Fiction, Humorous Fiction, Children's Literature, Short Story, Art Fiction
Length: 3,002 words
Structure: 1 section, 22 paragraphs
Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)

Good citation fit

Work identity for Bits of Clay by Adeline Adams
Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
Readability and classroom-planning context
Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph